


Jasper's Pearl

by Chekhov



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, F/F, PTSD Pearl
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-04-23 12:30:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14332521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chekhov/pseuds/Chekhov
Summary: War is upon them again, and Connie is right - desperate times call for desperate measures. To prepare for the inevitable faceoff, Pearl and Jasper head back to Homeworld undercover to gather information and recruit backup. Their hearts are uncertain, but if there's one thing these two war veterans know, it's how to survive in unlikely circumstances. The question is... can they survive living with each other?





	1. Jasper's Pearl

Chapter 1: Jasper’s Pearl

There was no sunset.

It was this that had confused Pearl the most in the first few days… back. She was still hesitant to use the word itself. The return to Homeworld, as it were, did not feel like a return at all. Instead, it felt like a visit to a strange new planet. A tour. Even, dare she say, an abduction. An alien abduction.

Were there other things, besides the sunset, that should have confused her more? Yes. The sweeping, angular architecture that grew atop of old Era One skyline. The glowing spider web of off-world warp maps that now wrapped around G85, which had once housed a Museum of the Conquered. The Museum of the Conquered itself – or rather, what was left of it. Any of those things should have surprised Pearl more on her…. Return… back to the familiar Sector 9 Bridge in the north facet.

But no, it was the lack of sunsets. The ever-present, looming purple sky. Hour after hour, how it pursued her, even when she slapped the window display in a desperate attempt to shut the automatic blinds.

She avoided the windows for the most part, during the times that she was alone. Took care to walk the hallways which did not allow her to peek at the outside. It was safer that way regardless – she had to stay out of the way of prying eyes. That, in itself, was difficult enough considering whom she had been… paired with.

“Why is it so dark in here?”

Pearl startled out of her daze of thoughts and turned around promptly. The looming figure in the doorway hesitated, and then lumbered inside, groping the side wall until it found the touch panel. After a soft click, the lights in the private suite turned on – although the main lamp was blocked by the hulking of a Quartz gem who had conveniently been in front of it.

Then Jasper stepped to the side, and Pearl instinctively squinted against the beam of light spilled into her face.

“What are you doing?” Jasper asked, generously deciding to abandon the last question in favor of a new one.

“Nothing, I--” Pearl felt herself fumbling with the response. It felt silly now. “There’s just no—Night-time.”

Jasper’s upper lip quirked. “Night-time?”

“Nevermind.” The slighter gem straightened her back, trying to recalibrate her own brain. She just felt ridiculous now. “Welcome back. How was your….day?” Was that not strange as well, though? There were no days here. The rotation of the planet was twice as long as a solar year around the neighboring Red Dwarf star. Pearl backtracked. “How was your… outing?”

Jasper shrugged one shoulder. “About as great as we expected,” she said, and torqued to the side, heading towards the north room. Feeling as if there had been some wordless signal to follow along that she had missed, Pearl stumbled after her. The Quartz continued talking, not having noticed: “The Committee didn’t take too warmly to me. The Sector Morganite is displeased about Yellow Diamond’s decision to bring me into the Court. The two Amazonites – the ones I told you about – they’re mostly neutral, from what I can tell, but my hunch is that their mouths will stay shut. The Zircons are suspicious at best.”

“Things aren’t too bad, then,” Pearl gathered.

Jasper paused to glance down at her, and then snorted quietly and stepped into the sunken sitting area in the middle of the room. After shifting her legs under the table in the middle and stretching them out to get comfortable, she reached into her cape pocket, pulling out a small communication crystal and rolled it carelessly aside like a dice. It made a delicate clinking sound as it bounced off the edge and down to the floor by Jasper’s feet. The gem didn’t seem to be bothered – only flipped it back up into her hand with her toe and set it aside again. She then began to unclip her cape, clearly settling down for a long rest.

“You should probably be more careful with that,” Pearl pointed out, perching on the ledge beside Jasper’s shoulder. “They’re going to question you if something gets broken.”

“Do you really think they expect someone like me to be careful?” Jasper grumbled in reply. “I’m not a Peridot. Precision isn’t a part of the package deal.”

“That much is obvious,” Pearl quipped. “But you ARE here, aren’t you? This is the Bridge of the Elite. They don’t exactly look fondly upon casual mishaps. We’re treading on thin ice as it is.”

The mountain of hair by Pearl’s knee made a point of not turning around. Pearl was grateful for that, at least. Eye contact wasn’t their strong suit. In particular, it felt like she was in a stand-off with a wild earth animal every time Jasper happened to meet her gaze. It had already been a very long first few days. Perhaps not overdoing it was key.

She was already thinking of giving up on the lecture and had stood up to go back to the computer console when Jasper finally spoke up.

“You’re one to talk.”

Pearl looked back down. Jasper still wasn’t looking at her.

“Excuse me?” the smaller gem asked.

“That.” At this point, the Quartz did look up, but her gaze was not as glaring as Pearl had expected. It was… disgruntled. She raised an eyebrow and pointed at Pearl accusingly. “Who do you think you’re talking to?”

Pearl’s hand flew up to her chest. “ _Excuse me_?” she repeated, tone jumping an octave.

Jasper’s eyebrows made their way back down, weighing heavily on her eyes. “That’s what I mean. You do remember who you are, don’t you?”

Pearl didn’t reply.

“You do remember _where_ we are, don’t you?” Jasper continued. “You’re talking so much about acting prim and proper, but what about you? Sure, maybe you’ve gotten used to bossing Amethyst around the past few thousands of years. Sure, maybe you even put Rose—I mean, the Steven – in time-out a few times. But this ain’t Earth. This is Homeworld. And on Homeworld, you’re not Pearl. You’re A pearl.”

Finally, Pearl’s frozen completion seemed to crack and her shoulders sagged. “I am aware,” she said, now monotone. “I didn’t forget, Jasper.”

“Then why are you still talking to me like that?” Jasper asked.

Pearl’s shoulders shot back up defensively, and her teeth grit, but she could see that Jasper was still eerily calm. It was not like their previous conversations.

Then, the Quartz suddenly looked away. “I know you think of me as just some wild, villainous brute. And I’m fine with that. Because that’s who I’m supposed to be. And being who I was made to be is how we survive around here.”

Survival. Right. That wasn’t new.

Pearl drew an unnecessary deep breath and then pulled back her shoulders and folded her hands behind her back. It felt bitterly familiar. “Yes, my Jasper,” she lulled.

The change of tone seemed to almost make the larger gem flinch. Again, their eyes met, but this time, the Quartz seemed… uncomfortable.

“Uh, right. That sounds better, I guess.”

Not missing a beat, Pearl swept her torso down in a bow. “Is there anything else you desire for your period of rest?”

No, Jasper was definitely uncomfortable now. That much was obvious. “I’m uh… no, it’s fine.” She cleared her throat. “You don’t have to… You can tone it down.”

But it was almost fun at this point. Pearl felt the lack of familiarity radiating from the other. It was like seeing a freshly formed gem fumble around in the open for the first few minutes. It made her feel somewhat better about the whole thing. Resisting a smile now, she knelt beside her companion’s shoulder, reaching out to tap her chin and tilt it ever-so-gently in her direction. The Quartz was nearly ready to bolt.

“Never had a Pearl before, have you?” Pearl smirked.

Jasper recoiled, grabbing the ledge to steady herself. “Quit joking around!” she barked. “You know I don’t mean here! I don’t care about what you do when no one sees you. It’s when we’re out there, seen by the general populace that it matters!”

Pearl leaned back, relaxing a bit. “I know, I know,” she sighed. “But you need to get used to this, too. You nearly jumped out of your skin just now. I am supposed to act like this, you know. I know my role well, don’t worry. But do you know how to react? That is the better question.”

Jasper scowled. “I don’t. I’ve never had a Pearl.”

“Not surprising. I can’t think of any Quartz that would. But you do now.” Pearl sat back. “We both have a lot to get used to. I’m rusty, I know. But I can do it when I need to. I know how much rests on our ability to play our parts. I’m here to do what we came to do. Failure is not an option.”

They both fell silent for a few moments, and the mood seemed to darken. Jasper was the first to release herself from the weight of their thoughts, and was once again staring Pearl down with the same disgruntled look. She said nothing.

After tolerating about 15 seconds of it silently, Pearl finally felt her patience wear. “What?” she asked.

“If we can’t afford to mess up, we have to look the part, too,” the Jasper said. “Today, I already got a comment about my uniform being out of date. Things change fast. Even as short of a time as I was on earth… updates, new releases, new orders – failure to follow them to the dot might mean we’re raising further suspicions.”

“Yes, that is true,” Pearl agreed, staring back at her partner. But the Quartz’s gaze seemed to be lower than expected. Feeling exasperated, the thin gem gestured vaguely. “Jasper, my eyes are up here.”

Jasper didn’t bother looking up. “The star has to go.”

Pearl glanced down at her teal outfit, and then back at Jasper.

Jasper, in turn, shook her head. “Actually, the whole… thing… has to go. You’re way too flashy.”

“For Homeworld?” Pearl asked. “The styles I’ve seen so far seem to be rather--”

“For me,” Jasper interrupted. “You’re way too flashy for me. You’re supposed to be my Pearl, right? Aren’t Pearls usually made to order? I don’t think anyone would expect a Quartz to have a Pearl like… THAT.” Another crude gesticulation at Pearl’s general form followed.

Pearl looked back down at her outfit once again. “Well, yes, that is true,” she said reluctantly. “But it’s just a matter of reforming.” She sighed in defeat. “Fine, then. I’ll make myself something better.”

“Good, get to it, then. I don’t care about the details.” Jasper said, and turned back around, seeming to think that was the end of it. She paused, and then looked over her shoulder again when the silence wore on. Pearl was still looking at her. “What?”

“If I just shapeshift, it’s going to take too much of my energy to hold the form,” Pearl explained. “I’ll have to redo it from inside my gem.”

Jasper stared silently.

The Pearl shifted her weight a bit uncomfortably. “You’re going to have to poof me.”

They were both silent for a beat. Maybe it was the combination of using Steven’s own vocabulary to describe the practice. Destroying the physical form wasn’t really that big of a deal when your real power came from the gem, but there was still something discomforting about it. Especially since this wasn’t a battle.

“R-right,” Jasper said, and tried to stand up, but had to pause when her leg got tangled in the cape as she was trying to climb out of the seating area. Pearl also stood, looking off to the side quietly, trying to concentrate on her new design. She wouldn’t have that much time, not like the leisurely reforms she’d done on earth. They had to be quick about it.

But Jasper was still taking her sweet time, it seemed. The silence dragged on as the Quartz flipped her mane of hair behind her shoulder, looking, for some reason, at the wall, where some minimalist gem art had been arranged. For their viewing pleasure, perhaps. Or as a warning. Pearl wasn’t sure.

“So.” Jasper cracked her knuckles. “I uh… how… I mean…”

“Just something to match your palette, then? Nothing flashy. I’ll be quick about it,” Pearl said, trying to ignore the tension radiating from the other. “But I’ll still need at least a few hours.”

“Yes, fine. Good.” Jasper coughed unnecessarily again, and finally looked down. “Uh. So, should we battle or something?”

Pearl almost smiled. Almost. “And make a racket? No, these walls aren’t soundproof, we’re going to make someone come running to check on us. Just… I don’t know…” Pearl paused again, uncertain about how to explain.

The awkward silence swelled between them like an invisible bubble.

“Is this… normal?” Jasper asked.

“What is?” Pearl was grateful, suddenly, for a few extra seconds.

“I mean, Pearls. With their… their gems. The… the poofing. I mean, no battle or anything. Just like that?”

“Just like what?” Pearl asked, although she knew what the other was getting at. “How it is with Diamonds? It’s easier from their… position.”

“Right.”

“Well, and you had that destabilizer tool, you know.”

“The what?”

“The one you used on Garnet.”

“Right, well, that was... Back then, it was--”

“It’s fine.” Pearl brushed her hair aside. Why was she nervous now? It was just standard. Pearls got poofed all the time. For the smallest reason. They weren’t meant to be sturdy, just pretty. And if a Pearl wasn’t pretty enough for your liking, you poofed it so that it could be prettier.

Steven’s horrified face appeared in her memory, and a knot twisted in gem’s stomach. What would he say if he could see this?

Jasper growled another cough. Her gem blinked for a moment, and the Crash Helmet materialized. But she seemed to change her mind when a brief look of panic crossed the Pearls’ features.

“Maybe not… that,” the smaller gem suggested weakly.

The helmet disappeared. “Right,” Jasper said. She flexed her shoulders a bit, and then stepped forward. Pearl didn’t back up. There was barely a foot between them now. Before either could say anything, Jasper’s hands landed on Pearls’ shoulders, and then slid down a bit. Pearl felt much like a nut would in a nutcracker. Or at least, what a nut would feel like, if it could feel.

“I’m just gonna squeeze,” Jasper told her.

“Okay,” Pearl said. In the back of her head, she could see an instant replay of Garnet’s gauntlets grabbing Peridot around the middle just before the green gem dissolved into smoke. It didn’t seem very dignified.

Jasper’s grip tightened.

 _The holo Pearl!_ Of course. She could have just made holo-pearl and had her stab her again. That was much less embarrassing than whatever this was turning out to be. But would it be prudent to say it now? No, perhaps not. Jasper was already squeezing.

Well, squeezing, but hesitating.

“You’re going to have to do it a bit harder,” Pearl choked out. “I’m not—I’m not a Phosphophyllite.”

The Quartz, despite not being the one on the receiving end of the pincer grip, was unmistakably turning a darker shade. She seemed to be straining against something, but it clearly wasn’t because the task was difficult. Surely poofing a Pearl wasn’t turning out to be a problem? Or perhaps, Pearl thought to herself, with a bit of surprise, it wasn’t a physical difficulty, but a moral one.

“Sorry,” Jasper grunted awkwardly, confirming her suspicions.

The squeezing arms loosened just for a moment – but only enough to take the time to suddenly scoop Pearl up into what was, more or less, a bear hug. Before either of them could register the embarrassment, Jasper’s arms clamped down, and then immediately loosened when the gem in them crumpled into milky smoke.

The only thing remaining – a Pearl in the palm of her large hand – couldn’t complain anymore, even if it wanted to.

***


	2. The Party

“We received an invitation,” Jasper announced.

Pearl looked up from her console screen and stepped off of the podium, heading towards the other to meet her in the middle of the room. In Jasper’s extended hand was a small glass-like panel. When held up to the light, letters glinted on the surface.

“YOU received an invitation,” Pearl corrected, inspecting it closer. “The Reunion Gala at… The Amazonite’s Spire?” She looked through the glass at the Quartz. “I thought you said they didn’t like you.”

“They were neutral,” Jasper replied. “But they’re battle fanatics – love the veterans. This party should have at least five gems that fought in the Asteroid Crisis. Maybe even some Era One veterans, although that’s less likely. Anyway, you have to come with me. All the events are Bring Your Own Pearl now.”

Pearl snorted. “Sorry? Since when?”

“Since the 60th millennium,” Jasper said. She was already shrugging off her cape and heading over to her favorite resting spot. “You missed the memo, I’m guessing?”

“Yes, because last time it was Bring Your Own Pearl, I was brought to earth,” Pearl replied testily. Jasper didn’t bite – neither of them had time for Sad Origin Stories. It was difficult enough to deal with the present. “But fine, so I’ll go. But we’ll have to come up with something.”

“Something?” Jasper echoed, only sounding half-interested. Kicking her feet up on the table, she sprawled out on the couch and closed her eyes pointedly.

“Get our story straight,” Pearl continued. “So that we’re not caught on inconsistencies. Not that anyone would try to talk to me, but in case they get suspicious and start interrogating us…”

“Like those cop shows,” Jasper mumbled. Her voice was already grumbling, half-asleep. A habit adapted, without a doubt, from Amethyst. She was out in moments, snoring not unlike all the other Quartzes Pearl knew.

“Yes,” Pearl sighed. “Like the cop shows.” If there was one good thing about the Peridot-Lapis-Jasper TV drama club, it was that it had made it leagues easier to communicate cultural concepts to the most recently recruited Crystal Gem. Plus, at least they had something to bond over.

She stooped down to pick up the cape from the floor where the other had thrown it, and folded it up. It was annoying, but familiar. She appreciated it, actually, now that they’d been here for a week or so. The old habits of picking up casually discarded clothes, or tiptoeing around a napping house companion – they were comforting to her. It was almost like they were back on earth.

But no, she reminded herself swiftly, there was no reason to let her guard down. There would be no earth if they didn’t pull this off. There would be no Temple, no beach. No Garnet, perched on the hand by the dryer, waiting for the cycle to end in the dusking sky. No Amethyst, flopped on the couch by the steaming mug of tea, having gotten hungry and eaten half of her puzzle pieces. No stomping of teenage feet on the porch stairs, and no need to yell, once again – Steven, Connie, slow down! The fifth one from the bottom is already loose!

Pearl sighed heavily and sank into the seat on the opposite side of the table from Jasper. Her eyelids were getting heavy, but instead of succumbing she reached up and tapped her gem, withdrawing an old photograph. Steven – a bit younger than he was now. Connie, her hair still long. Amethyst, Garnet, Greg and herself behind them, all lined up in the living room under the painting over the door. “Oh Rose,” she murmured quietly to herself, touching her fingertips to the upper right corner. “It’s been so long. We’re still fighting. I’m getting a bit tired. Isn’t it supposed to be done by now?”

But then again, there was never a promise that it would someday be over. Sure, there was always a dreamed future after the war – the first war. But it was that, at first – a dream. They knew that someday, they’d succumb to the far reaches of Homeworld. The planet would not be left alone for long. Even so, they had their fair share of rest. A century, two, three – their period of peace flew by, it seemed. Then suddenly it was war all over again. This time without Rose, this time with new wounds, new difficulties. New enemies.

Maybe Jasper was on to something after all. It was just like those never-ending TV dramas. Just when you thought everything was resolved, a new season would start, a new problem would come along.

Pearl glanced down. Garnet’s visor hid her eyes, but there was a knowing smile on her face.

“But you saw a different future, didn’t you?” the gem whispered. She pulled the photo close, pressing her lips to where Steven’s forehead would be. Her eyes rested on Jasper for a moment again.

Inevitability had not been an obstacle until now.

And if they did their job right, it would stay that way.

 

***

 

“This place is fancier than I expected for an Amazonite,” Pearl admitted as they ascended up the steps of the spire a mere 9-10 Homeworld hours later. The island was on the other side of the planet and for once, the sky had been darkened into a proper night-time. Pearl would have felt grateful, but the bridge to the Spire had been slicked with dark, ash-colored ice, and she had nearly slipped on the way in. “They commute to the meetings in Sector 9? It’s quite a few warps, isn’t it?”

“They don’t come every day,” Jasper explained, and then tensed as they approached the doors, which were being guarded by a pair of Citrine soldiers. Pearl slowed her step to fall behind her, trying to keep her head down.

The doors were open, but there was a low-intensity force field radiating from the center of the entryway - and there was a box on top of the stand with a slot. Clearly going in wasn’t going to be as simple as just crossing over the door step.

“If it isn’t the famous Earthling,” one of the Citrines smirked from the side. “Nice to know even the dirt can hope to catch some shine.”

“If put under enough pressure,” the neighboring Citrine continued, and they both laughed, shoulders bouncing up and down. Jasper had the cool to ignore them, but stopped before the force-field, clearly at a loss for what to do. Advancing forward without doing anything would surely only result in an embarrassing zap, but the Citrines seemed to be doing nothing to release the block. Pearl, instead, caught them eyeing Jasper with a bit of a gleeful look. They were enjoying her discomfort. The longer they waited, the wider their grins stretched.

The smaller gem leaned out slightly, inspecting the shield. Surely there wasn’t any big secret here. They just had to… ah, of course!

Pearl slipped her hand out from behind her back as smoothly as possible, and, without hesitating, edged her fingers under Jasper’s cape. The gem stiffened, clearly having felt the contact of the hand on her lower back, but by the time she was starting to turn around, teeth bared, Pearl had already withdrawn what she was after from the inside pocket.

“My Jasper, forgive me for being so slow,” she trilled, lowering her head and offering up the glass panel. “Here’s the invitation.”

“Wh--” the Quartz began to say, startled, and then quickly corrected her tongue. “That’s right!” She snatched the plate up and hurriedly shoved it into the slot. The force-field receded, and both of the Crystal Gems felt their shoulders slack in relief. The Citrine’s faces became masks of indifference again. Jasper stepped over the threshold and then paused and reached back, her arm wrapping around Pearl’s thin frame without warning. “It’s nice,” she chuckled. “Having a Pearl doing things for you. Just one of the perks of being a Quartz worth their make, I guess.”

Pearl’s cheeks erupted in color – as, probably, did the Citrine’s. As they headed into the hall, there was not chance to look at their faces, but surely they were contorted in rage.

“Are you bragging?!” Pearl hissed under her breath, glaring up at Jasper out of the corner of her eye. “At THIS point? Don’t you think it’s too early to get so cocky?”

“Let me have my fun,” Jasper murmured in reply. Her arm levitated off of Pearl’s shoulder smoothly and released her. “They’re out there guarding doors. I’m in here, with the elites, a Pearl at my side. You know what they think of us – of me. If I act like a pushover, they’ll try to push me. Better to push back now and remind them what they’re up against.”

“Well, push all you like, but don’t push your luck,” Pearl shot back in a hushed whisper. “We only have one chance here, and somehow, I have a feeling that making MORE enemies isn’t a particularly good war strategy.”

“It’s worked for me,” the Jasper smirked.

Pearl’s glare didn’t let up, but they had already walked into the main hall. Gems were beginning to pass them, laughing loudly and chattering among themselves. Attempting to blend in, the white gem slipped her hand around Jasper’s arm, hooking herself to it and almost allowing the other to drag her through the sea of Officiants and Diplomats.

“Jasper, finally!” a voice rung behind them. Jasper pivoted, and Pearl clung on for dear life, attempting not to fall into a flashback of the merry-go-round back in Beach City.

Standing a few feet away, a glimmering green gem with her hair swept up in a braid was smiling at them.

“Amazonite,” Jasper replied. There was no joy in her voice, but at least she was acting polite.

“I’m glad you’re finally here. There’s someone I wanted to show you to,” the warrior grinned. A row of sharp teeth appeared for a moment – and then hid themselves again. “Do you remember the Jade I was telling you about?”

“Vaguely.” Jasper’s one-word replies, although obvious signs of disinterest to Pearl, seemed to not bother the Amazonite at all. Feeling that it was in everyone’s best interest to keep Jasper wherever they wanted her to be, Pearl let go of the other’s arm and very subtly pushed against her bicep, trying to convey the silent message: _Go with her. Get more intel._

It took a few seconds, but the orange Quartz finally surrendered and headed after her work acquaintance. Amazonite, all the wiser to the ventriloquist behind the decision, seemed delighted to find Jasper in such an agreeable mood and quickly pulled her away – to a circular table upon which a miniature holograph of some sort of outer planet was slowly revolving on its axis.

Having found herself suddenly alone, Pearl took a few seconds to get her bearings. Since there were two of them, they could cover more ground, but a Pearl wandering around all on her own would be suspicious. She would have to pretend to be fetching something for Jasper. _Her_ Jasper.

She had to resist rolling her eyes. Wasn’t her partner a bit too eager to fall back into her old persona? Pearl had been worried for this very reason – Jasper had spent only a few months with the Crystal Gems before suddenly suggesting this mission. Was she really a changed gem? Or was it just another war strategy, a strange series of double-crosses between old enemies pretending to be friends now?

“No,” Steven had insisted when Pearl had brought up this point. “Look, her good meter is almost halfway there now!” He had presented a slightly crude but nonetheless talented drawing of the fluffy Quartz alongside a thermometer-like bar from BAD to GOOD. An arbitrary measurement, Pearl had thought to herself, but Steven seemed convinced. Jasper’s rating was at 45%.

“Steven, that’s not very reassuring,” she had argued in exasperation. “Scientifically speaking, I mean.”

The boy’s face fell for a moment and he had glanced at the graph again before coming back with another grin, like a boomerang of optimism. “Yeah, but Connie said that you can round up from 5! So she’s actually… at 51 percent!” He hurriedly slapped the paper down, grabbed a crayon out of the box Amethyst was holding (it happened to be a different color from the original one of the GOOD - BAD scale, since she had already eaten that one) and scribbled it in to top it out.

Pearl stared at it for a moment. “Shouldn’t it be 50%?” she asked finally.

“Yeah, but I gave her an extra percent, because she didn’t fight with Lapis today!” Steven explained. “She always gets an extra point a day for that.”

The white gem pressed her hand to her mouth, eyes narrowed, and then threw a glance in Garnet’s direction. “Is this really a good idea?” she asked under her breath. “Can’t you see this ending in disaster?”

The fusion seemed equally conflicted – or at least Pearl hoped she was conflicted. It was hard to tell, since she hadn’t moved or spoken since Steven had begun his Jasper’s Great Idea presentation.

“I can see this ending in disaster,” Garnet finally admitted. “But I can also see this ending well. There are many variables. Many decisions will affect the success of this mission.”

“That just means more opportunities to fail,” Pearl concluded.

“Jasper’s cool,” Amethyst offered up, since she had finally finished chewing through the Firetruck Red crayon. “I don’t _think_ she would betray us.”

“She has things to fight for now!” Steven agreed eagerly. “I mean—better things! Like earth! And Lapis and Peridot... Well, she fights with them a lot, but I think she likes them! Likes fighting with them.” He paused, reassessed, and then backpedaled. “So that’s another thing for her to fight for! She doesn’t like Homeworld either, she said she doesn’t want to go back. But the plan really is a good one. Connie agrees – if it’s only us, then we don’t really stand a chance against White Diamond. If we’re going up against an army, we need an army. Like Mom had. Jasper can go back to Homeworld and look for an army for us! Like the off-colors, and gems like that!”

Garnet sighed. “Too many variables,” she grumbled again.

Pearl was thinking. After a few seconds of silence, she balled up her hands in her lap, and suddenly pulled her back straight. “Fine. Connie is right. Your mother knew the value of friends on our side. We took a great deal many risks to build up support for the Crystal Gems. The support of others was one of our greatest weapons, and this won’t have changed.”

“So you’ll let her go to Homeworld?” Steven asked eagerly.

“Yes,” Pearl sighed. “I’m on board. With one condition. I want to be ‘on board’ literally. I go with her.”

Everyone’s heads spun. Amethyst spit out a crayon wrapper hurriedly. “Go with Jasper? Why?” she demanded. “You don’t even LIKE Jasper!”

“I can’t deny that,” Pearl admitted. “But we need a fail-safe. If Jasper goes to Homeworld and betrays us – or is captured – we need damage control. Letting her go alone is far too dangerous. Besides, she wants to pose as an elite gem. To infiltrate the ranks properly, she will need a Pearl.”

“Is… that really okay?” Steven choked out, looking between Garnet and Pearl. He seemed to be at a loss. “But what about you? It’s dangerous. You told me about how Homeworld treats Pearls. I don’t want you to go back to a place like that!”

“It’s nothing I’m not used to,” Pearl said. “Aside from Jasper, I might be the only one here who knows about Homeworld and can pass for a regular citizen. I’m a bit out-dated, but between Jasper’s knowledge of the current system, and my knowledge of the upper ranks, we might just be able to balance it out enough to look like we fit in.”

Garnet hummed thoughtfully. “The variables are far less negative with this factored in,” she admitted.

Steven’s face had been plastered with worry. Pearl could still see it clearly in her memory. But in the end, it was all to protect _him_. If it was for the sake of their little… family… what _wouldn’t_ she have done?

It had been her own decision to go, after all. She had to keep that in mind. The rest of dice would fall as they may. Garnet had seen a few possible successful outcomes in their future. That was enough. Now they just had to work to find them.

“The Crystal Souvenirs are that way,” a voice murmured suddenly, right behind her.

Resisting the urge to jump in shock, Pearl spun around. Another Pearl was staring at her. Her mellow green color was as soft as her voice.

“Wh…what?”  Pearl asked, trying to hide her confusion. “Crystal… Souvenirs?”

“Yes,” the mint-color Pearl replied. “You’re here with the Jasper, are you not?”

“That’s—yes. My Jasper. Is over there.” Pearl motioned vaguely. “I’m not here alone.”

The other regarded her for a moment, seeming unsure, and then nodded in the opposite direction. “Like I was saying, the Crystal Souvenirs are almost gone. I’m sure a few others are trying to hoard the extras, so you better get one soon.”

Pearl followed her line of sight. On the table by the wall some sort of give-away appeared to be happening. Pearls were lined up, and indeed, a few seemed to be hurriedly shoving the freebies into their gems and immediately lining up for more.

Following the lead of the other, Pearl slipped into the queue. The Mint, who had taken up the spot in front of her, glanced at her again. “You’re new here, aren’t you?” she asked.

“We were just transferred—I mean, my Jasper was just transferred from the Virgo Cluster block 2 back to Homeworld,” Pearl explained, following the story they had agreed on. “She’s uh—She earned highest honors as a warrior, so she’s now serving on the Counsel of the Brave.”

Mint seemed unimpressed – but maybe she just wasn’t prone to intense facial expressions. “I did hear of that from my Jade,” she admitted. “I wasn’t sure if it was true. I’ve never heard of a Quartz receiving a Pearl.”

“Yes, well,” Pearl chuckled nervously. “Sometimes, in special circumstances…” She paused and tried to wave it off. “But forget about me! What about you? Your Jade – is she also on the Counsel?”

“No,” the green Pearl replied. She stepped forward a few paces as the line moved up. A few more Pearls lined up behind them. “My Jade is the designer of these Crystals. They’re power charms for battle. Not that your Quartz needs them, I’m sure.”

Before Pearl could open her mouth to answer, a purple Pearl behind them leaned in to join the conversation. “Since it’s a Jasper, she might need a Focus Crystal instead, right Mint?”

Mint frowned. Pearl glanced between them in confusion. “A Focus Crystal?“ she repeated. “What is that, exactly…?”

“It’s supposed to grant the holder the ability to focus, even in a raging battle. Makes you smarter,” the purple one explained, and then elbowed Pearl in the ribs with a grin. “But maybe her gem’s too thick for any of that to get through!”

“Lavender, stop it,” Mint said with a frown. “Better gems are listening--”

“So what?” Lavender snorted haughtily. “You think you’ll get in trouble? Calm down, everyone here knows it. Quartzes are stupid – what can you do? I’m sure this one knows it better than anyone, having to spend every day with that brute Jasper. Right?”

Pearl bristled. “Quartzes? Stupid?” Sure, maybe Amethyst wasn’t the sharpest tool in the box when it came to long-term cause and effect decisions… And yes, Jasper was definitely not the best Pearl-Point getter in their How To Live On Earth classes. But to align such traits with intelligence?

“What?” Lavender asked, nonplussed. “Am I wrong?”

“Generalizing all gems like that is NOT the proper way to go about things,” Pearl protested, forgetting herself for a moment. Her voice had risen above the hushed whispers of the other Pearls in line. Perhaps she was attracting attention, but she didn’t feel herself caring. “Next thing you’ll be saying that all Peridots are smart! Just because they’re Peridots!” The faces of the two Pearls to her side seemed to be ready to nod in agreement, but that only made her angrier. “Is that really the only way you can think of to judge other gems?! What about their hard work? Their accomplishments in battle? Even… Even Quartzes – sure, maybe they’re ditzy, but many of them have led successful seizes over the centuries! Jasper, she’s an awarded General! Sure, I may not have agreed with her ideology at the time, but to deny the fact that she was a worthy opponent in battle only bested by--”

In that split second, just before Rose’s name started to form on her lips, the only thing that stopped her from finishing her sentence was… instinct. But not the instinct to hold her tongue.

Her senses sprang to life. Thousands of years of training all honed in on the whistle of an object coming at her from the side.

She spun. Her hand flew up. She felt her fingers close around the handle of a spear before she even saw its tip flip dangerously close to her face. It was fine, though. It wasn’t even going that fast. She had already pulled it up and out of its trajectory, and then elegantly spun it around her wrist. Then, finally coming out of her trance, she glanced around, looking for her attacker.

Jasper was staring at her from across the room. She straightened up from her throwing stance and chuckled – but in her eyes, Pearl read panic.

She suddenly remembered where she was. What she had just been yelling.

What she had just done, in a room full of Homeworld gems.


	3. The Spy in the Library

 

The room was silent, save for the few murmurs of shock puttering around the outskirts of the crowd – which had now stepped away from Pearl. She gripped the spear tighter for a moment, contemplating dropping it, but realized with a jolt of fear that it might make her look even guiltier. What had she been thinking?!

But no, she hadn’t been thinking at all. That had been the problem. She just reacted. Poorly.

Thankfully, she was the only one.

“Just like I trained her,” Jasper announced, voice booming in an unusually hushed room. “See? I’m a fighter, after all. My Pearl should at least be ready for a little rough handling. Can’t let it get too boring, even if I am in this Fancy Capitol at this Fancy Job.”

The gems around her began to laugh, seemingly in approval. “Oh Jasper,” Amazonite chuckled. “I expected nothing less from you! You big brute…And your poor Pearl, how long did that little trick take to perfect?”

“Way too long. I almost gave up because of how incompetent she was. Pearls… what can you do? They’re just not built for it,” Jasper said, and began to advance across the room.

The gems in her way parted, either out of fear or respect – Pearl wasn’t sure. But she knew that it was only terror that drove the other Pearls behind her to scatter. She remained in place, holding the spear until Jasper neared her, and then dropped to one knee and offered up the weapon.

“My Jasper.” Her voice was trembling – but it was only her own fault. How stupid it had been to let her emotions get the best of her. And here, of all places! She had been worried about Jasper messing up their scheme all along… but she had almost given them away herself!

“Glad you finally got that trick right,” Jasper growled, and grabbed the weapon up crudely. “Didn’t I tell you? Stay on your toes.”

“Yes, My Jasper.” Pearl kept her head down.

Jasper hummed in displeasure somewhere above her, and then turned around and waved to the Amazonite. “I think I’ll have to keep this! Got any more you want to sell to me? Because I’ll be looking for something a bit heavier!”

“Of course! I’ll go get it!” Amazonite called back.

The volume of the party was going back up. Gems turned around, their attention drawn back to whatever it was on before. The amount of eyes on them lessened, and finally, Pearl felt it safe enough to stand back up. Her head was still down – now in shame. Jasper motioned for her to follow, and they made their way to the flanks of the party, where the towering art pieces would shield them from prying eyes, and hopefully block the sound of their conversation.

“I was stupid,” Pearl admitted in a whisper before Jasper could say anything. “I—I don’t know what came over me, I just—”

“Forget it,” Jasper growled, eyes still darting back and forth nervously to check that they weren’t being followed. “Just don’t do it again. Making a racket here? So much for being too cocky.”

“I know, I know,” Pearl muttered. “I owe you. If you hadn’t interrupted me… and that line about training me for it as a trick! Brilliant!” She laughed nervously. “And to think they were talking about how stupid Quartzes were. You just outsmarted everyone here! You saved my life twice in only thirty seconds. If anything, you’re the genius here!”

“Quiet down,” Jasper reminded her again, although they were both speaking under their breath. She glanced at Pearl again a second time, however, with a more surprised look on her face. “Is THAT what that was about? Quartzes being stupid? We ARE. Who cares?”

Pearl smoothed out her skirt nervously. “I care,” she admitted.

“Right, you have that thing with Amethyst, I forgot.” Before Pearl could protest, the Quartz waved it off, and then rubbed her face. Where her skin slipped into another shade along her cheeks, Pearl could see a slight darkening. Was Jasper blushing? That made two of them... “Anyway, that wasn’t planned on my part. I didn’t realize you would catch it. I was just trying to scare you. Or poof you before you said anything strange. Whichever one.”

They allowed the awkward silence to hang over them for a few beats, and then Pearl cleared her throat pointedly. “Either way… thank you,” she said. “Your quick thinking saved us, and that’s what matters. I’ll hold my tongue next time.”

“And don’t catch the stuff I throw,” Jasper added, jabbing an accusing finger at her. “Pearls aren’t supposed to be as competent at fighting as you are.”

“And you’re not supposed to be the smart one,” Pearl replied dryly. “But… nevermind. The irony is lost on you.”

“Does this look like iron to you?” Jasper shot back, flipping her unruly mane of hair. Whether it was a joke or a lack of awareness wasn’t clear, but Pearl no longer wanted to find out. Sometimes ignorance really was bliss. It was better to move on with the conversation anyway – the gems out in the center of the hall were beginning to yell about something excitedly. Perhaps an event was starting.

“We’ve already drawn attention to ourselves, and we haven’t even been here an hour,” Pearl said. “You’re doing a much better job pretending to be… yourself. On the other hand, it might be better for me to stay out of the way. Is there anything the Amazonite said to you that you feel could give us some clues?”

“She said something about an exoplanet and how that was where they manufactured weapons,” Jasper suggested. “That might be a lead.”

“What makes you think it’s anything important?” Pearl was frowning. “We have weapons back on earth. Unless you think that we need new technology, or--”

Jasper shook her head. “Well, that’s it too, but that’s not what I mean. Look at this thing.” She held up the spear again. “Does this look like Homeworld make to you?”

The spear glinted in the low light of their hiding spot. Pearl glanced at it distractedly. “No? I don’t know. It’s completely different from what I remember, but things could have changed,” she shrugged. “It looks a bit off, I suppose.”

“It’s definitely not,” Jasper confirmed. “It’s got no timestamp, no Diamond insignia and more importantly – no disarming chip!”

“So the manufacturer is different. They have a private smith. Your point?” Pearl asked, crossing her arms. “We’re looking for real leads here, Jasper.“

“This IS a real lead!” Jasper snapped. “What happened to Quartzes being smart? Listen to me for a second – there ARE no other manufacturers anymore. Creating weapons outside of Homeworld’s jurisdiction has been illegal for thousands of years!”

Pearl’s arms slacked. “It has?” she asked, dumbfounded. “How many thousands of years?”

“I don’t know,” Jasper gestured in exasperation. “How many years has it been since the Battle for Earth again?”

Pearl froze in realization. She thought back to Bismuth, and her chest tightened. Perhaps the gem would be proud to hear that her contribution to the Rebellion was influential enough to completely ban making weapons on Homeworld, but hearing about it now, Pearl could only feel shock. Shaking it off, she looked back up at her partner in crime.

Jasper was looking at the spear closely, now deep in thought. “If the Amazonites are manufacturing weaponry like this, it means they’re doing it in secret. Which means… their means of production are also quite illegal. An entire planet for a black market scheme? That’s big. That’s an entire multi-level operation that’s entirely against the Diamonds’ direct orders.”

The smaller gem was beginning to catch on. “We can blackmail them with that information!”

Jasper grinned. “Or even better… Blackmail them AND get their weapons!” She seemed very proud of herself. “All the Homeworld issued weapons have a recall code in the chip that turns them off. If we try to steal those to use for the defense of Earth, any Diamond could just disarm them. But these ones don’t have that! We can use them on anyone!”

Suddenly, Pearl fell silent. Another thought had occurred to her. “But… why did they make them in the first place?” she asked. “What use do the elite Homeworld war strategists have for--”

“JASPER! Where are you?!” A voice came tearing through their hushed conversation. Whoever was the owner was just on the other side of the large, cube-like sculpture they were hiding behind.

“That’s Amazonite,” the Quartz hissed, and grabbed Pearl by the shoulders, shoving her towards a back hall. “No time now. I’ll distract them with something. You go sneak upstairs. I know that there should be a library somewhere in this spire. There might be files on that exoplanet and the weapons in their system. You have to find them.”

After receiving a confirming nod from her conspirator, Jasper straightened her shoulders and moved towards the gem beckoning to her. Pearl remained in the shadow of the statue until the voices died down into a distant hum again. When the coast seemed clear, she crouched down and slipped away.

 

***

After spending some time wandering around the outer halls of the spire, Pearl was starting to get the impression that it was built solely to confuse its inhabitants. The passageways webbed through the structure in ways that didn’t make architectural sense for a building that was only supposed to go up and down. Still, as she traveled deeper heading in a generally upwards direction, the strangeness of the decorations gave her a hunch that she was getting closer to her goal.

The walls of the hall were lined with artwork depictions of the various conquests and wars of the Homeworld Empire. There were quite a few Pearl remembered – such as the Conquest of the Asteroid Cluster in Virgo, or the Battle for GX135 – but many that she didn’t. One that was definitely missing was the war on earth. Nothing was even remotely hinted.

It must have been tactical, Pearl reasoned. The Diamonds had no reason to forget it – they had even banned privately manufactured weaponry. Bismuth turning on the Authority in order to supply for the Rebellion was something they hadn’t predicted, and something that had been a deciding factor in most of the Rebellion Force’s victories. Still, the fact that Jasper’s presence was treated as somewhat taboo made her think that perhaps the other gems weren’t fully aware of exactly WHAT had transpired on earth to begin with.

“Erasing history,” Pearl murmured to herself, tracing her fingers along the edge of one of the holographic projections on the wall. It showcased Yellow Diamond, standing among the wreckage of ‘primitive’ and ‘useless’ life-forms on some distant planet. She shook her head in disgust. “No… Rewriting history.” She wondered now - for the first time - How many of those distant planets had the same potential as Earth? Rose had assumed that it was special, but was it, really? Or did they just finally get a chance to know it as intimately as its natives? And if it hadn’t been earth, but some other planet in the distant corner of the galaxy… would it be so different after all? Or would they have cherished it just the same?

“We think we’re so above humans,” she muttered darkly, mostly to herself. She had been so excited to show Steven what ‘Homeworld’ was like. Beautiful and advanced. But was it, really? What was there that he didn’t have back on earth? Sure, there was some nice art and interesting technological advances…

She sighed, closing her eyes, feeling as if Steven was there, beside her again. Waiting for an explanation. “But just like they do… we hide our mistakes… our ugliness… and instead paint ourselves as some… heroes. Conquerors.” She scowled at Yellow Diamond. “We’re no better than them, are we? You refuse to accept your defeat on Earth so you just hide it behind a lie.”

_CLANG!_

Pearl jumped, and before she knew it, all her previous inhibitions about blending in were out the window. She whipped out her spear and was pointing it haphazardly down the hall, searching for movement in the shadows cast by the artwork. There was none, but she knew something had to be there. Someone had heard her monologuing.

Crouching low, she pressed herself against the wall and waited. For a long time, there were no other sounds. Then one very soft ‘thump’, as if whatever had been knocked over was being set back down. Then silence again.

Trying to be as sneaky as possible, Pearl leaned out from behind a stand. She could see something shuffling about a ways off down the hall – it, too, was crouching. The gem wasn’t visible, so it was completely up to fate to decide whether it would be a tough opponent or not. Regardless, it would have to be eliminated, otherwise Pearl’s cover was done for, this time officially.

She pulled up her spear, aiming, and prepared to set off a long-distance blast, but as the tip of the spiral flashed, the light seemed to alert the hallway spy. It looked up, and Pearl saw its eyes widen in surprise, right before it ducked again – this time around the corner.

“Oh for the love of--” Pearl hissed. Heaving herself up, she took off after it, now in pursuit. The lack of lightning didn’t help – every time she rounded the corner, the gem was turning into another side hall. Halls and artworks flashed by her as she ran, trying to push herself to go faster. If only Garnet and Amethyst were here! They could catch it together—but no. She had chosen to go by herself instead. Stupid! They could have used an extra Amethyst guard. Garnet could have unfused. It could have been just like that time at the Human Zoo.

The passageway suddenly grew lighter, and as she slid around the next corner she saw that she had come to a divide. Three other halls opened up before her. She couldn’t see the other gem anymore. It could be anywhere by now.

Pearl sucked in a deep breath, grit her teeth and then let it out emphatically. “Fuck.”

She could say that, because Steven and Amethyst weren’t here. It made her feel a little better. Perhaps there was some point to those words after all. It certainly alleviated her frustration with having let the spy get away. Undoubtedly, that gem would now report back to Amazonite that no, that one strange Pearl was DEFINITELY defying the Diamonds. Definitely needed to bring her in. Put her on trial. And Jasper, too, for good measure.

“FUCK!” Pearl snapped again. She rubbed her face and then looked up at the three passageways again.

Now that the swearing was over and done with, she had to actually think. Jasper could deny knowing that she had been anything other than a normal Pearl. But that wouldn’t get them far – they were even more suspicious of Jasper than they were of her. Surely that would only get them both shattered.

There were not many options. In fact, there were only two. Success or failure.

As she was hesitating, another flash of movement alerted her to the fact that her prey had not, in fact, escaped. Pearl froze – the figure that she had seen before was at the end of the left hall! Standing right there… staring at her! Then it dashed again, further inside whatever room was at the end of the passage on her left.

She could have been walking into a trap; that was certain. But what other choice did she have? Trying to wait for the gem to come back out and ambushing it was not an option. The party would end eventually, and Jasper would be looking for her. She had to get this over with quickly and get back down.

She released her weapon just in case there were high-class gems that would see her – it dissolved into scattered light without a trace – and then moved forward, staying low. The walls of the hall felt a little too close for comfort as she made her way towards the light. In front of her, something was coming into focus.

A staircase! The glow she had seen was coming from above. She stepped into the opening, and then looked up. No sign of her little friend, but there weren’t many places to hide now. She was probably near the tip of the spire.

As she ascended the stair and stepped out into the floor above it, the doming glass walls told her she had been correct. Out in all direction before her lay the dark horizon of Homeworld’s sunless side. In the distance, the canyons of the harvested gems gaped through the planet’s surface. Light trails of the warp paths flickered between them like veins, pulsing every once in a while as a gem passed through.

Pearl looked behind her. A computer console was standing at the opposite end of the dome, a clear blue light emanating from it. The gem she had been chasing was nowhere to be seen, and that had made her nervous, but for the time being she had accomplished another goal – this was surely the library Jasper had been talking about.

She approached the podium and stepped up. A flat liquid control-panel was installed in the middle, and inside of it she could vaguely see keys waiting to be touched. Pearl rubbed her hands together nervously, considering her options. She glanced behind her again.

If the gem she had been chasing had gone back downstairs, it meant the end of their scheme. And if their capture and exposure was inevitable, and they could only benefit from more information in the event that they had to flee. At the very least they could blackmail Amazonite into letting them go.

“Alright,” she sighed, and pressed her fingertips into the viscous surface. “Show me what you’re hiding on that exoplanet.”

Folders rippled to the surface of the screen above the control panel. Scrolling through them yielded fairly harmless looking files – War Committee, Conquest Reports, and Colony Updates from stationed Agates. It was all rather disorganized, but nothing beyond that made her think that the Amazonites were part of a black market weapons manufacturing scheme.

“There has to be something,” Pearl muttered, thinking back to the spear she had grabbed out of the air. Jasper was right – there was something peculiar about it. Something… unusual. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. The gem hummed, squinting at the folders again, and navigated back to the folder of Colony Updates. A spreadsheet with 56 Agates unfurled, separated by planet. At the end of the list, a single Moss Agate remained, planet-less. Her name seemed a stand-alone.

Pearl opened the file. It appeared empty save for a photo – a bleak surface of something that seemed more of an abandoned moon than a colony.

“If you’re there, then where is your report?” Pearl asked the empty dome. She squinted harder at the screen. The file size seemed awfully large for only a single recording. After considering it for a while, she highlighted the single picture and ran a code in an attempt to open it.

And open it did. Suddenly, she was inside a folder with much MORE than just a few photos. Text files, reports, charts.... And beyond that – expense totals. Percentage of sales. Lists of… other gems?

Pearl opened up the list. It seemed completely out of order. The gems listed had a number, but they were in no order, other than chronological. Hematite, Lapis Lazuli, Bismuth… If these gems had been recruited to work on the illegal operation, then why were they scattered all over the place? If you had a shipment of recruits, you took them together in batches. But this seemed almost as if they gems were coming there from completely different places, based on a system that made no sense at all.

“Wait a second,” Pearl mumbled, and pulled up a separate search. She keyed in a few cut numbers, glancing at the Original Kindergarten column as she did so. Some were scattered across different planet systems, but overwhelmingly… “They’re from earth,” she whispered, taking a step back.

“So are you,” a soft voice said behind her.

Pearl froze, and then, trying to remain calm and collected, merely glanced over her shoulder. A single Ruby stood by the stairs, staring her down. “I knew it. The Renegade Pearl,” she whispered.

Pearl didn’t break her gaze. “Have we met?” she asked. She figured that this had been the gem who had seen her in the hallway, but having been recognized as her past name was a bit of a shock.

“A long time ago,” the red gem said. Her tone was unusually calm and subdued for a Ruby. “During the Rebellion, at the Fight for Earth. You’re her, aren’t you?”

“I have no idea what you mean,” Pearl said, stepping slightly to the side and slowly pivoting her body, so as not to make any sudden movements. “I’m just here for the party.”

The other mirrored her step, and they began to circle, almost like wolves waiting to clash. “Don’t play dumb,” the Ruby said, and her brow finally crinkled, making her look a bit more like the stereotypical guard. “You’ve changed your appearance, but not that much. I saw you catch that spear downstairs, so I followed you when you snuck off. It’s definitely you, isn’t it? The Pearl that belongs to No One.”

Pearl felt a chill. Despite the Diamond’s best efforts to erase the Battle for Earth from their history, it appeared that they couldn’t get rid of everything. Especially veterans – like Jasper, and apparently this Ruby. Had they actually met, Pearl wondered, or had it just been the rumor of her that the Ruby had heard among the ranks? It felt strange to be so famous again.

The Ruby was still circling. “How did you do it?” She demanded. There was an unexplainable tone of desperation in her voice. “How did you escape the Diamonds? Everyone was shattered when the Rebellion was stopped!”

Pearl smiled a bit, and straightened her back, reaching behind her. “Who said the Rebellion was ever stopped?” she asked.

The Ruby froze, confused. “What are you talki--” But before she could finish, Pearl had smacked the button to close the Dome’s blinds. The whirr of the panels startled Ruby enough to glance behind her, and Pearl took her chance. Whipping out her spear again she lunged at the other, piercing her straight through and sliding into the wall as the solid body beneath her gave way to a dissipation of smoke.

Immediately, she grabbed up the gem, bubbled it hurriedly, and looked around. Everything was silent, and nothing had been broken, so at least they probably wouldn’t know that she had ever been here. It was a miracle, but somehow, disaster had been avoided. She had not been caught. She had new information. She was the fearless Renegade Pearl again.

With a last sigh of relief Pearl turned around and disappeared down the stairs, back into the coiling halls of the spire.

 

 


	4. Homeworld Bound

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *this chapter contains spoilers for A Single Pale Rose and any episodes thereafter*

“You WHAT?” Jasper demanded.

“Inside voice,” Pearl hissed instinctively, and glanced around them. Thankfully, even at these less busy hours, the interplanetary terminal was buzzing with enough noise to drown out their conversation. “I poofed and bubbled her,” she repeated.

Jasper slapped her forehead – the cartoonish silliness of the gesture seemed incompatible with the weight of their situation. “Why?” the Quartz demanded.

“Well, what did you want me to do?” the white gem asked defensively. “It’s safer that way. No traces, no mess. I got the intel. That’s why we’re here now, on our way to the planet.”

“You risked the mission! You didn’t even check with me—didn’t check with anyone!” Jasper complained. “You’re the one telling me to stay on track, but you’re out there doing whatever you please!”

“I completed the mission to the library just as you asked. And the rest – as if I had time to check in with you… I was literally chasing her through the halls while you partied it up downstairs!” Pearl raised an eyebrow haughtily. “I hope I don’t need to remind you, but this is a front, Jasper. You don’t actually outrank me. I can do things the way I please. We might be on Homeworld, but I’m not your Pearl, not really. Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

With a growl, her stand-in liege released the topic, apparently giving up. Pearl felt validated enough in waiting to explain the full story of how she ‘smoothly’ made it to the library and discovered all the correct files. Still, with Ruby’s bubble filed neatly inside her own gem, it seemed like a bad idea to withhold the information forever. Perhaps she was being too hard on Jasper. The Quartz did genuinely have their best interest at heart – and she had been equally helpful the other night, saving Pearl with her quick thinking.

“Anyway,” Pearl said, leaning in with a coy smile, hoping to cheer the other up some. “If I remember correctly, Rubies are your biggest fans. The one time we got a brigade of them on earth they wouldn’t stop talking about you.”

“Huh?” Jasper looked down at her again, bewildered and still angry. “What are you talking about?”

“Did Amethyst not tell you?” Pearl said. “It was while you were—well, uh… Somewhere under the sea.”

Jasper glared at her silently.

“And the Rubies came to earth looking for you,” Pearl continued. It was more for her sake than Jasper’s, now. The fond memories kept her occupied. “The first time they came – oh! Steven had this really strange idea – well, it was good, in hindsight! He suggested we play baseball. Do you know what baseball is?” Jasper looked away, glaring somewhere else now. The warp schedule on the wall updated, and their pad warmed up with a soft glow, preparing to fire. Pearl continued, unbothered. “It’s a human game. Rather primitive, but it did the trick! And then we told them you were on Neptune – oh, could you imagine? Neptune!” Fanning herself from the peals of laughter, Pearl glanced out of the warp stream as they skimmed over the ridges of Homeworld’s peaks. “Anyway, they came back eventually. And then Amethyst decided to shapeshift into you. Just picture it!” She glanced up at the taller gem, but the Quartz was still stubbornly glaring forward, unmoved by their exit out of the planet’s exosphere. Equally unmoved by Pearl’s story. “They thought that her purple color was some sort of—I don’t know—some sort of _suntan_!” She laughed again, but her voice was losing its energy. “And they… They were really excited, those Rubies. Thinking it was you. They were all over her.”

A beat of silence, and then another. A tension started to swell between them.

Pearl cleared her throat. “Anyway,” she said tersely. “They really liked you. So maybe the one I captured will, too. That’s all I wanted to say.”

Jasper snorted. It was rough, unkind. “Could’ve said it in less words.”

Outside, distant stars rushed past them. Pearl felt cold – although she knew it didn’t matter. Her body didn’t care about temperature. Still, thinking about spending more time in the warp with an unmoving hulk of an orange was less than appealing.

“ _What_ is the problem?” she snapped finally, looking up at Jasper again.

“What.” The tone was flat, but there was clearly something bubbling under the surface.

“You know what! The way you’re acting!” Pearl replied. “Did I say something to displease you, _My Jasper_?”

The last words, full of venom as they were, seemed to hit their mark, and Jasper’s shoulders stiffened. “Just because I don’t want to listen to your endless babbling about nothing at all? Because I’m being a bad conversation partner? That’s not my purpose, I’m not a Pearl!” Jasper retaliated.

“I don’t care what your purpose is!” Pearl growled. “We’re alone here – your purpose doesn’t matter! You’re a Crystal Gem now, not just another Homeworld Jasper. I was just trying to—I don’t know… entertain you!”

“So, trying to be a Good Little Pearl?”

The dig actually made Pearl recoil, but she bounced back twice as hard. “No, I’m trying to be your friend! Do you even know what that is?!”

“NO!” Jasped growled.

Pearl pulled back again, feeling like a yoyo. She said nothing this time. Jasper, on the other hand, seemed to have plenty to say on the subject.

“We’re on a MISSION! What are ‘friends’ going to do for me? I don’t know—and I don’t care!”

Pearl was at a loss. She had not anticipated the conversation taking this turn. “You know what friends are. Lapis and Peridot--”

“You’re not that dense,” Jasper countered. “You know I like neither of them. The feeling’s mutual. We’re required to be stationed together, and I can tolerate that. But that’s beside the point.”

“Required to be--” Pearl shook her head in disbelief. “What about… Amethyst? You get along with her.”

Jasper looked away. “It’s complicated.”

Grasping at straws now, Pearl threw up her hands. “Well, what about Opal?”

Both of them froze uncomfortably. Jasper’s face grew darker again. “That’s…. different. That’s even more complicated.”

“Tell me about it,” Pearl muttered, feeling her own blush coming on. “Forget about me—if you don’t even consider Amethyst your friend…”

“Like I said,” Jasper growled and looked away. “We’re in the same court, and that’s as far as the comradery goes.”

A silence – again. But this time, it was Pearl who was hovering higher and higher. Jasper, on the other hand, appeared to be weighed down in the warp path by the discomfort written all over her face.

“…what?” Pearl asked, voice dead quiet. It seemed to echo in the confined space. "Same court? What court?"

Never had a Jasper shrunk so much in front of a mere Pearl. And yet Pearl felt herself swelling from the inside like a balloon. She couldn’t place the emotion – anger? Disbelief?

No, she was fully ready to believe it. Not a single word coming out of Jasper’s mouth surprised her.

“We’re on a mission, alright?” the Quartz said. “You know that, I know that. I know you call me a Crystal Gem – call me whatever you want. I don’t care. But I’m not going to fool myself into whatever game of pretend you’re all playing. I’m doing this for my Diamond.” The other’s voice was practically ready to break. She wasn’t making eye contact, despite – or because of – the way Pearl was glaring at her.

“Steven is NOT your Diamond,” Pearl choked out, struggling to maintain her composure. “We’re been over this, Jasper. Pink Diamond is— She’s gone. Steven is not her. Her court was dissolved thousands of years ago.”

“You can go over it as many times as you want, and it still won’t change the truth. Not for me.” Jasper’s eye glinted – a tear? Pearl felt another level of shock register, but then Jasper glared at her again, and there was no hesitation. Maybe it had been a trick of the light. “Her court, or this Crystal Gem business… whatever you want to call it. I have my purpose back. I’m on a mission. Let me have this.”

The warp vibrated around them – they had almost arrived on their layover planet. Pearl looked off into the void of space, trying to find the words to sort the flux of emotions inside her. “This is why you wanted to come here, isn’t it?” she muttered. “Not to help Steven—not to help the earth. But because you wanted to… to serve her again?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t betray you,” Jasper said. “That’s what you’re worried about, isn’t it? That’s why you didn’t want me to come here alone. You thought I would double-cross you, so you came along to keep an eye on me. Well, don’t worry. I’m not going to let any more harm come to My Diamond. Regardless of what she looks like, she’s in there somewhere. And I won’t fail to keep her safe again.”

Pearl reached out – without meaning to, she had already placed her hand over Jasper’s chest, as if trying to connect with her in the last way she knew how. They were so different, but seeing the pain in the other’s eyes, Pearl felt like maybe this was the one thing they _did_ have in common. “Jasper, listen to me… I know how hard it is, I know losing her was horrible, but it’s… it’s over. You have to move o--”

Before she could finish, Jasper grabbed her wrist, and flung her hand away. “No.”

The warp suddenly dissolved. Around them, the thick air of a red planet rushed in to envelop the space they were standing in. Before the smaller gem could continue, the Jasper turned around and sank into the murky liquid fog on the outskirts of the warp pad – disappearing from sight and leaving the conversation hanging like a naked sword over Pearl’s neck.  

 

***

 

The foggy red planet was only a brief stop for them. It was on the outskirts of The Black – a rift of empty, nearly matterless space. It served as a layover hub for exits to other, slightly farther planets, but those were outside of Homeworld’s jurisdiction. This was not their territory.

Still, one of those outer planets housed the Amazonite’s great scheme. It made sense that the planet would be difficult to reach through regular methods – but it also meant that they had to curve the law themselves.

Following their original plan, Jasper scanned herself for an outgoing warp, and then they left it empty and headed to the aerodrome instead. A few interviews with some rogue pilots, a payment plan that involved a good amount of lying through their teeth, and they were aboard a vessel that looked suspiciously like an escape pod more than a ship. Jasper scrunched herself into the corner near the viewing window and became as silent and immobile as a statue. Pearl took a seat opposite of her, trying to ignore their temporary pilot’s haphazard swatting in the cockpit.

“Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing,” the Moonstone said after catching Pearl’s eye. Or at least, Pearl thought it was a Moonstone. It seemed a bit… off somehow. The size and the shape of the gem was different from the ones she’d known. Perhaps it was an Era 2 downgrade, or perhaps she was off-color. But who was she to judge? Meanwhile, the gem continued: “This used to be a cruiser, that’s why it’s small. I’ve got some engines on it that’ll take us as far as you want.” She patted the control panel affectionately and then pushed her hands into the guiding pool. “Off we go!”

The flight was long – and it had become even longer with a lack of a conversation partner. Jasper refused to so much as look at her, and Pearl found herself stubbornly keeping her gaze on the port window as well. The Quartz’ words were still spinning around inside her head.

She had been right. Jasper wasn’t ready. A few months of earth watching TV programs and raising vegetables wasn’t enough to erase the brainwashing that Homeworld had down to a science.

Knowing what Pearl knew now, it was easier to put the pieces together – why Jasper had so quickly calmed down after hearing Steven explain everything and show his gem. Why she had complained so little despite being housed practically on top of Lapis. Why she had diligently fallen in line during every mission Steven had ever suggested for her.

She acted gruff with them – she never worshipped Steven the way she had Pink. But the devotion was clearly there, bubbling just beneath the surface.

Pearl pressed her hand over her mouth, closing her eyes. Jasper’s words echoed in her mind: _“Regardless of what she looks like, she’s in there somewhere_.” The Quartz regarded Steven as some sort of an organic trap for the gem itself, perhaps. Not entirely a reformation, and yet not entirely a being separate from the Diamond. Of course she did… she had no context for human childbirth. She had no way to understand what Steven really was.

But could Pearl really blame her? It had taken her years to come to terms with it herself. Who was she to complain that Jasper wasn’t getting the hint in a few months?

“It’s crazy, isn’t it?” Moonstone asked, turning away from the console. They appeared to be cruising now. “What’s been going on in the inner colonies.”

“What?” Pearl asked automatically, and then paused, throwing Jasper a glance. The hulking gem didn’t move, didn’t give any indication that she would join their conversation. Still, Moonstone didn’t appear bothered by her speaking out of turn, so perhaps it was safe to have a chat.

“Oh, you know,” the pilot gem continued. “What with Era 2 coming to an end and all…”

“Is that true?” Pearl asked.

“Isn’t it?” the Moonstone propped her chin on her hand, spinning in her chair. “I mean… with Yellow and Blue Diamond and what had happened… They dropped a few colonies here and there, sure, but in general, the whole thing’s a bit… you know?”

Pearl didn’t know. In fact, the entire context of the conversation was lost on her. She looked at Jasper again, hoping for some sort of save, but there was only silence.

“Yes, well,” she said finally, deciding that floundering about was better than sinking. “It’s… interesting, certainly. Unexpected.”

“Is it?” Moonstone asked with a grin. “I saw this coming from lightyears away.”

“Oh—yes.” Pearl nodded her head. “Me too.” No, wait, was she being too obvious? She had no idea what this conversation was even about. Era 3? What did that even mean? For Homeworld? For them?

“Is that why you’re going to see Moss Agate, then?” 

Pearl tightened her grip on her skirt, and then forced herself to relax. “It’s merely a business trip.”

“Enough.” Jasper’s voice cut through the conversation like a knife. She hadn’t moved, but her eyes, peeking out from behind her mane of hair, were glowing eerily in the dusk of the pod. She was staring down the Moonstone. “Our business is none of yours. Keep to your job. I need to have a chat with my Pearl.”

“Right-o,” Moonstone trilled. Pearl wasn’t sure if Jasper had scared her, but the gem hastily directed her chair back into the control panel and shut the door. Now they were alone again – and Pearl felt herself becoming nervous instead.

“Stop the chatter,” Jasper growled, leaning forward and suddenly looming over Pearl. “You’re forgetting your place again.”

Pearl shrank back, but she felt herself fighting her automatic fear reflex. Jasper wasn’t a threat to her. Not yet, anyway.

“We’re going attract more attention if we act like we have something to hide,” she hissed.

“I’m going to decide that,” Jasper growled. “I’m on this mission – you’re here as a backup. Those were the orders. Don’t forget that.”

“They were not _orders_ ,” Pearl shot back under her breath. “We decided this together as a team!”

“You’re fooling yourself!” Jasper snapped, louder now and grabbed at Pearl, catching her arm. “Look where we are! Look at what I am – and what you are. There’s no Crystal Gems here. Not where we’re going. You came with me to blend in – but you’ve been endangering us on this mission more than I have! What is… Steven... going to say about that?”

“He’s going to tell you...” Pearl intensified her glare. “…to stop manhandling me!”

“We have a cover to keep,” Jasper hissed. “You’re just a Pearl!”

Pearl lifted her chin. “I’m HER Pearl!” The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could catch them.

Jasper’s grip suddenly loosened. The jab had done its trick, even though Pearl felt herself recoiling after saying it. It felt wrong to use this leverage. Is this was this little mission had reduced her to? _My Diamond will hear about this!_ How low it seemed now.

“I…” Pearl took a deep breath, shivering. “I… was… Her Pearl.” She dusted off her sleeve where Jasper had grabbed her, but it was mostly an excuse to not have to make eye-contact. “And you… were… her best Jasper. But that doesn’t matter now.” She bit her lip, trying to even out her breathing. “It all doesn’t matter now. What matters is the earth. The Crystal Gems. Steven. Can’t you at least do it for Steven?”

“I _am_ ,” Jasper growled, and turned her shoulder, hiding her face with her hair again. “Who are _you_ doing it for?”

They turned back to their windows. The space between them, small as it was, seemed like a canyon now. Staring into the black, Pearl felt her own resolve wavering. She had said what she did on instinct, without thinking. She didn’t plan on it, she had just known automatically that Jasper wouldn’t dare to damage one of her beloved Diamond’s favorite companions.

How ironic – in the process of announcing her own allegiance to the Diamond, she was blatantly disobeying Pink’s last wish to be forgotten. Was that progress…? Or just another step back?

No matter how far they ran, the past caught up to them again and again. She was supposed to be the Renegade Pearl, but somewhere deep down, everything she criticized about Jasper existed as a part of her, too.

Unannounced, the words from one of Connie’s novels caught up to her.

 _Home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling_.

Perhaps they had never left at all.


	5. The Exoplanet

Before the ship even touched down, Pearl felt something was off. Nevermind their other problems – if they messed this up on a planet with no warp and no way off, they would truly have no way to get back home. In at least that aspect, Jasper was right – she had been way too relaxed lately. They couldn’t afford the mistakes she’d been making. Maybe she’d been spoiled by earth and all its wonders.

_And first and foremost, by my own Diamond_ , she thought, and then pushed the idea away. _Enough, that was enough_. She’d tortured herself enough. It was in the past now. It was over.

Wasn’t it?

“Looks like they’re expecting you,” Moonstone said from the cockpit. “You have a welcoming committee. Moss Agate herself and 3 guards. I have clearance to land.”

“Take us down,” Jasper commanded, staring out through the port window.

Pearl glanced out as well. She couldn’t see well due to the purplish mist covering the ground, but there were, in fact, 4 gems standing at the landing square. Three of them looked bulky, square-shouldered: possibly quartz soldiers. Another was particularly thin and tall. That was, presumably, their mysterious Moss Agate.

They disembarked, and immediately after the wind of the engines cut out, the mist swept back again. It was wet and thick, almost like water, but not quite. Where they were standing, it came up covering everything below her waist. The ground, although it was invisible to her, was unstable. It was shifting beneath her feet as if it was a flexible, thin crust floating on something much thicker than water. There was a cool breeze sweeping the rest of the mist away. In the distance, she could hear the whirr of a rotating blade. Without it – would it obscure their vision altogether? Looking above her didn’t help – the lilac sky seemed to extend above them endlessly. This planet was definitely not an ideal gem base – even with all the Lapis Lazuli they could find, terraforming this mess would be a pain. That made her even more interested in why and how, exactly, the Amazonites were using this as a base.

Despite her curiosity, Pearl felt it was too early to wind up another argument with Jasper by speaking out of turn, so she stayed behind the gem and folded her hands politely over her skirt. Jasper stepped ahead of her, automatically forming a diamond with her arms.

This seemed to be a mistake. At the sight of the Homeworld salute, Moss Agate gave them a mocking grin. “We don’t do that around here,” she said.

Jasper lowered her arms, unfazed. “Glad to hear it. Was getting tired of that.”

“What brings you to our little hub?” the green Agate asked, folding her arms over her chest. She was still smiling, but it was cold. “I’ve heard of you, but I didn’t expect to see you here so soon.”

“The Amazonites told me of what you do here,” Jasper replied casually. “I wanted to see it for myself.” She shrugged a huge shoulder, as if it wasn’t any big deal. “I thought of announcing our arrival but… I’m being kept an eye on. Communication channels might be compromised and… well, let’s just say we decided to just keep this little trip as much under the radar as possible.”

The gem glanced at their ship, and then smiled a little wider. “We appreciate that,” she said finally. “And we appreciate your coming here. I’ve heard Amazonite has high hopes for you. It’s not every day that you meet such a decorated war veteran… and a Quartz, no less.” She chuckled deeply. “Even your Pearl’s quite cute.”

Pearl felt the attention shift to her, and a cold chill ran down her spine. The Green Agate, calm as she was, seemed to give off an oppressive aura. It felt toxic somehow.

“I heard from Amazonite about how you trained her to fight,” the gem continued. Her eyes were still on Pearl, intense and magnetic. “I’d love to see it for myself.”

Without meaning to, Pearl stepped back behind Jasper, using her as a shield. Apparently, the Quartz had the same thought, because she tensed a bit and leaned to the side to further block the smaller gem from view. “Amazonite’s exaggerating,” she said gruffly. “It’s merely a party trick.”

“Is it?” Moss Agate finally looked back at Jasper again.

“It is,” the orange gem growled. “We don’t have that much time to spare here. Can we get this tour started?”

“Ah, yes, of course, forgive me.” After a bow that felt all too fake, the gem in charge swept herself around and began to lead them away. “Stay close,” she said. “The mist is thicker where we’re going. It’s a bit of a bother but this planet is much easier to hide because of it. Nothing here except gasses… and a very small molten core. The Homeworld forces left it alone because it’s too small to viably colonize. But we’ve found some uses for it.”

Pearl glanced behind them as they walked, but the ship that brought them over was too far to see anymore. Instead she only saw darker shapes flanking them – buildings or natural structures? It was impossible to tell.

“I’m assuming you mean weapons,” Jasper said. She was only looking straight ahead at the Agate. “There must be molten core to mine.”

“Not as much as you’d think,” the green gem chuckled. “We barely use it at all, in fact. No, we have… other resources.”

Pearl finally tore her attention away from their surroundings and looked up at Jasper to see her reaction.

“What resources?” the Quartz asked.

Moss Agate turned to look back at them. Her smile was just as strange and unsettling as it was before. “Oh, I’m going to save that reveal for the last of the trip. Just enjoy yourselves for now.”

The mist thinned out when they approached the main complex. It was partially sunken below the thin crust and submerged in what was presumably the molten metal under the planet. It wasn’t a problem to gems, of course, but Pearl still felt that she liked this place less and less. Earth just seemed so much more… inviting. She enjoyed the cool breeze on her face, and the smell of trees. Here, she could barely see anything at all behind the mist – and even as they entered the complex, the heat that hit her was only making matters worse.

The hallways were long and lacked any definition. They snaked away out of sight, leading, presumably, to some sort of other halls, maybe even assembly lines. Agate lead them down the stairs, talking about the weapons they produced. Pearl had almost tuned out at that point – instead, she observed their surroundings and tried to memorize the way out. It was getting more and more difficult – the path the Agate was leading them on seemed to be designed to look exactly identical to the others.

“Where have you been supplying?” Jasped asked. “Do you really have that many buyers?”

“Plenty of gems want to take advantage of weapons that aren’t dirtied by Homeworld’s insignia,” Moss Agate said. “Recently, we had a supply shipped to NX45, to the smaller colony on the asteroids. The main planet is still under Blue Diamond’s control, but those on the rings have their own agenda.”

“They’re planning an uprising?” Jasper asked.

“Oh, I suppose you could put it that way. I think the better term for it is seceding.” The Agate stopped in front of a door and placed her hand on the panel beside it. The door slid open with a hiss. “Well, the first step is always to prepare. We want to remain neutral, you understand. But where there’s money to be made…”

“Who’s we?” Jasper asked. Pearl leaned in, now also listening intently.

“Oh, the Facet is made up of all sorts of high-grade gems that have grown tired of Homeworld’s monopoly. You might be surprised to hear who supports us… but that’s private information. At least until I trust you enough to tell you.” The gem smiled again, and then strolled through the door. The next corridor was barely lit, but there was some strange noises now – clanging and muffled voices.

“So you’re a bunch of elite busybodies,” Jasper said haughtily, clearly unimpressed. “Then who’s getting their hands dirty doing all of this? Who’s actually manufacturing these weapons?”

The green gem stopped ahead of them again, this time not looking back. She was tapping in some sort of code on a screen. “You’re from earth, aren’t you Jasper?” she asked instead of answering.

Pearl looked up, searching for a reaction. In the dimly lit room, she could barely make out the other’s facial expression, but it didn’t appear angry – not yet, anyway.

“What of it?” Jasper growled.

“It was a pity what happened there.” The Agate chuckled. “So much potential, all lost… But at least they did get a few gems out of it. Good ones too, sturdy Quartzes. Like you, for example.”

“Get to the point.” The Quartz said.

“What happened on earth – the Rebellion there – it was mostly erased from the books by the Diamond Authority. But the rumors still traveled, and many were inspired by it. Inspired by the ease with which the Rebellion soldiers shattered their own Diamond.”

Jasper clenched her fists. Pearl felt herself shivering again, and stepped instinctively closer.

“The problem is,” Agate continued. “Most gems don’t know that the real reason Pink Diamond fell so quickly was because she was… well… incompetent.”

Jasper let the air hiss out from her nostrils. Feeling desperate now, Pearl grabbed her uniform from the back, leaning in. “Keep it together,” she breathed, voice barely a whisper.

“But you were there, weren’t you Jasper? You know all that. How Pink Diamond was so bad at being a Damond that her shattering was simply… inevitable.” The Agate chuckled, “That… is the best-kept secret on Homeworld. And everywhere else.”

 Jasper breathed in again, slowly.

“Because you see…” The Agate turned around, facing Jasper now. “… The gems planning to rebel elsewhere… they’re spending a lot of money on their own upcoming Rebellion. And for what? A sliver of hope. The hope that they, too, can someday overthrow their own Diamonds and be free to do as they wish.” The Agate rolled her eyes and laughed. “Incredible, isn’t it? Such naivety.” She waved the thought away and glanced back at the panel. “Anyway. The problem, of course, is that Blue Diamond and Yellow Diamond are actual… flawless Diamonds. They’re not like that little Pink knock-off--”

Pearl grabbed Jasper tighter. She could feel the other about to explode. “You have to calm down,” she whispered desperately. “Do it for her. Do it for him. Do it for Steven, Jasper. He’s still here!”

 Jasper’s shoulders gave a last big shudder, and then drooped in defeat.

“—and because of that, their Rebellion is doomed to fail,” the Agate continued, not noticing anything. “But not before we make lots of money on it.”

Jasper hummed, finally seeming to understand. “You’re allowing them to fool themselves into thinking this will work. Making them think that they have a chance against the Diamonds… all so you can sell them weapons.”

The green gem laughed again. “Exactly. You’re pretty smart for a Jasper.”

“Many are smarter,” Jasper grunted. “And you really think no one else suspects a thing?”

“Well, in fact, no one knows much about Pink Diamond,” Moss said. She flashed Jasper another smile. “And gems that do know of Pink and her shortcomings…. Her court… They are… coincidentally… all here.”

Regardless of everything else, there was one thing Pearl had to admit – the Agate’s timing for the drama was perfect. As she uttered the last words, she slid her hand up on the lights, and the floor below the bridge they had been standing on became visible. Suddenly they could see where all the muffled noises were coming from – there were hundreds of gems down there, in a never-ending maze of walkways and assembly lines.

Without thinking, she approached the edge, staring out below them. Jasper loomed just behind her. The heat was worse here – and the dissonant sound of footsteps felt almost painful to her ears.

“All of them…?” Jasper asked.

“All who survived, anyway,” Moss Agate confirmed. “After the Diamonds blasted that stupid little planet to oblivion, most of them were lost. But we take in others to compensate – political prisoners, gems deported to be shattered…”

Pearl’s head whirled around and for a moment, without meaning to, their eyes met.

The green gem smiled mockingly at her. “It’s a waste, I think,” she said. “To shatter those that can still be effectively put to work.”

Pearl looked away again. It should have sounded kind, but somehow it wasn’t. Something felt off about that statement.

“Would you like to take a closer look?” Moss Agate asked. She hit another panel – a door slid open silently behind her, with the staircase leading down.

Thankfully, Jasper spoke up this time – and for once Pearl felt grateful. “Yes,” the Quartz said. There was a hollow ring to it – as if the bigger was feeling the weight of their situation herself. Seeing the last of Pink’s Court down there – toiling away in the scorching heat of the molten lava – pushed to the brims of the Homeworld Empire, and having no freedom even then… What would their Diamond think of all this?

_Perhaps,_ Pearl thought darkly _, it was for the best that she was fated to never find out_. What happened on earth to all the Crystal Gems – that had been torture enough. The last thing Rose had needed was more guilt. She had only wanted a new beginning for them, a fresh start.

And yet, somehow, Steven had inherited all of it… and more.

“Pearl,” Jasper called. The white gem looked up distractedly, and realized she had been frozen in place while the other two had begun to head downstairs. Jasper snapped her fingers impatiently, clearly still trying to play tough – but when Pearl approached her the auburn colored gem placed a hand on her shoulder instead. It was gentle this time. The contrast of it, compared to back when they were yelling at each other on the ship, almost made Pearl want to cry. They were both thinking the same thing, mourning the same thing.

Knowing that that green Agate ahead of them wouldn’t see anything in the murky staircase, Pearl raised her hand, laying it on top of Jasper’s significantly larger knuckles. Their voices echoed too much to speak, but she was trying to communicate the best way they could.

This wasn’t the end for them, not really. They were here, it was true. But Agate didn’t know half of it. She had Pink Diamond’s Pearl, and Pink Diamond’s Jasper, but she didn’t have Steven. And she didn’t have the other Crystal Gems – they were all safe, in the temple. They were waiting for them to get back.

They had to make it back. They had to see Steven again.

She squeezed Jasper’s fingers once and then let go, stepping down from the stair and stepping to the side. The Agate was already opening the door – and suddenly they were out on the floor, among the gems. Pearl couldn’t help but stare – and the gems all stared back.

But not at her. Instead, they were staring at the green Agate, absolutely terrified.

“What’s the matter?” the Agate snapped. Pearl flinched – the gem’s dripping, viscous voice had suddenly become sharp and cold as ice. “Did someone declare a break? You think you’re on vacation? MOVE!” she yelled.

The gems hurriedly picked up their work again. A group of ruffled rubies hurried past. They were carrying a long, black case between them – it looked fancy, shining and polished, unlike the workers which were all covered in soot.

“The real manufacturing happens further down,” the Agate explained. “This is just the sorting floor. We have multiple shipments a day, so they all have to be sorted appropriately.” She began to lead them between two lines, each one loaded with more cases. “The gems on Blue Planets always request more intricate designs – there’s not a lot of raw power required there. It’s usually just a bunch of local Lapis Lazuli.”

“You think they don’t pose a risk?” Jasper grunted.

Agate merely shrugged. “It’s all just water tricks. We have many more problems from gems like Topaz or Bismuth.”

Pearl felt the urge to resist snorting. Jasper also seemed unamused at first, but then her expression changed. “No, you’re right,” she said suddenly. “They can’t actually do much, those Lazuli… No need to waste resources on them.”

Pearl stifled a cough. She glanced up at Jasper, and for a second, they both shared a knowing grin.

“Exactly!” the Agate said ahead of them, still not looking back. “We have to think bigger!”

Feeling a bit inspired, Pearl looked around again, this time trying to take in as much information as possible. She could see several paths of elevator warps that were clearly meant to be used for transporting the finished product above ground. The general flow seemed to be that the weapons would come in from downstairs, already packaged. The level they were on was only for redirecting it to the correct warp. Despite this, the gathering of gems seemed to be haphazard. There were the Rubies – which seemed too small to comfortably lift larger cases – two Peridots, who were working together in the back – a Zinc, and even a Tiger’s Eye gem running between them. And in the back there was even—

Pearl did a double take. For a horrified moment, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her.

_Amethyst?_

No, not their Amethyst… just an Amethyst. But not just an Amethyst. Five of them! From the Human Zoo!  

The Amethyst that had turned around also saw her. Pearl realized, with some relief, that they remembered her. But the relief suddenly turned to regret when the others also turned.

“Pearl!” one of the Amethyst bellowed, and charged across the room without warning, heading straight for the other. “No! You have to get out of here!”

Pearl took an automatic step back, shaking her head. What were they doing?! Their cover would be blown!

“What’s going on?” Agate asked, turning around. “Get back to your--”

The Amethysts were faster. They reached Pearl, enveloped her as if there was a football huddle. She grabbed for them at the same time, wishing that she could simply make this escape as easy as the one they had at the Zoo. But this was different.

“You have to leave, NOW!” It was 8XL, if Pearl remembered correctly – almost yelling at her. “Get OUT! We’ll—we’ll throw you up!”

“N-no, wait!” The white gem twisted in their grip – she felt them already trying to pick her up, readying the catapult. “This isn’t what you think! You can’t—I have to…!”

“Trust us, just trust us, just run!” 8XL’s eyes were haunting somehow. “Grab the upper platform, hoist yourself up and run!”

“No--! Stop!” Pearl yelled desperately. She grabbed the hair of the nearest Amethyst. Everything was chaos, but she knew that if they did something this stupid, their cover would be gone for sure. How would they explain this to the Agate? What possible reason would there be to a bunch of Amethysts recognizing a Pearl?!

She started kicking – and suddenly, among the mess of purple and lilac faces, a streak of sunlight broke through.

“Jasper!” Pearl gasped, reaching for the familiar orange silhouette.

Jasper grabbed her arm, and at the same time, someone grabbed for Jasper. There was suddenly another round of shoving and yelling, and one of the Amethysts erupted into a puff of smoke. Then another – Pearl tumbled to the ground, surrounded by the dissipating light from the gems. She rolled over – disoriented, and tried to get back to her feet, only to be knocked over again by one of the gems falling on top of her. Then, just as quickly as it had happened, the weight was gone – just smoke again. Gems clattered to the ground around her.

She sat up, completely disoriented. The clouds of soot and gem smoke were clearing slowly. She couldn’t see much at first, but as the shapes around her took on a sharper contrast, one thing was clear – Jasper was nowhere to be found. Only one familiar voice remained.

“Oh my,” Moss Agate said from somewhere above her. “What a mess that was… But you’re tougher than you look, my little Pearl.”

Pearl tilted her head up. The green gem was in front of her, looking somewhat gleeful.

“W-where…” she gasped, and then took a few more seconds to steady herself. “…is My Jasper…?”

The green gem above her feigned surprise and looked around as well, although the action was clearly futile. “Oh? That’s odd… she was just here, wasn’t she? She must have been caught up and bubbled along with everyone else… What a terrible mistake. We’ll have to get that sorted out but… it might be difficult to find her. She fits right in with them.”

Pearl swallowed a lump in her throat, staring up at the other. The Agate was now holding out her hand. A venomous smile lit up her face.

“I suppose that means you’re stuck with me for the time being.”


	6. Moss Agate's Pearl

 

“What a waste.”

Everything was green. Presumably that contributed to the sick lurch inside her stomach, but something also told her that the coloration of the room wasn’t the main culprit. It was the circumstances, which were worse. Much, much worse.

“Pearl, did you hear me?”

Pearl looked up, and her arms jerked into a Diamond salute out of habit. “Y-yes, My…. Agate!”

The Agate lifted herself slightly from her chair. “Put that AWAY,” she ordered.

Pearl quickly dropped her arms and pulled her back straight. “Yes, My Agate.”

“Come over here,” the gem said with a motion of her hand.

“Yes, My Agate.” Pearl stepped forward and knelt by the long, emerald-colored sofa. Upon it, The Moss Agate was reclining. Balanced on the other end was a holographic screen. She scrolled through layers of what appeared to be a floorplan to the building – but not THIS building. A new one, on the opposite pole of the planet.

“We shall resume the conversation from this morning,” the gem said commandingly, opening up a new file.

Pearl bowed. She was already exhausted by the prospect of another interrogation, which had become the norm in the short span of time she had been held captive. The constant, rigid attention required – no, demanded – by the green gem was ruthless. She had been hoping there would be a window of rest for her to gather her thoughts, but there had hardly been any at all. Whenever she wasn’t being questioned for information she was on door duty – mindlessly pushing the buttons. When not doing that, she was preparing the chambers for the Agate to step into. Adjusting temperature, adjusting lighting. Each time was different – _Set the front lights to 42% this time, Pearl. Turn down the blinds, Pearl. Prepare the lava bath when you’re done. And put away the discarded crystals in Room 203--_

Her perfect form was faltering.

Again, apparently.

“Where is my answer, Pearl?”

The white gem’s shoulders stiffened, realizing her mistake. A brief thought flashed through her mind – _for fuck’s sake_. But her mouth was, thankfully, trained much better than that. “I apologize, My Agate. I forgot to answer you immediately. I’m not worthy of your luminescence.”

The Agate reached out, and the heel of her foot rested directly on Pearl’s gem. The warrior remained stone-still, her eyes closed tightly. “Do you understand what an honor this is?” Moss asked.

Pearl could practically feel her face cracking with her attempt to fake a smile. “Of course, My Agate. You are so kind to spare me. You could have easily shattered me and ground up my shards to be used to power the generators on the third floor.”

The memorized monologue seemed to please the other. “Yes, precisely,” she said. “But I didn’t. Why? I don’t know. That’s not for you to question. But the least you could do for the honor of becoming my Pearl is to not make such inane mistakes as to forget your place.”

“Yes,” Pearl chocked out hurriedly. “My most precious, rarest Agate. I am so deeply humbled by your brilliance.” She smoothly dislodged her gem from the other’s foot and ducked down, bowing her forehead to the ground instead. The dusty floor was preferable to the other’s boot. “Please, I wish to serve you. Tell me how I can do so.”

“You can start,” the Agate said, turning back to her screen, “by listing every world that Jasper was on.”

Pearl lifted her face up, trying to hide her panic behind a large grin. “Yes, of course, My Agate. Anything for you. I’ll gladly recount all the Jasper’s assignments with as much detail as I can manage.”

The Moss Agate hummed, satisfied. “Including the facets and station numbers.”

Pearl forced back a terrified laugh.

Perhaps being shattered would have been easier.

* * *

How many days had passed? Three? Five? Pearl was finding it harder and harder to keep track. Every task was followed by the next. Every mistake was a risk. She had to always be moving, moving, moving. Stopping to rest, even for a second, could be fatal.

It was not difficult work – not in the sense that she had grown used to back on earth. She hardly needed to think about it – it was only menial labor. It was dull enough to nearly put her consciousness to sleep, leaving her to carry on with her motions in a zombie-like manner. The repeating nature of her assignments lulled her into a sense of safety, pushing her from one room into the next, keeping her exhausted.

That was precisely what Moss Agate wanted.

For the most part, Pearl daydreamed. When her attention wasn’t required, it drifted off into things that were much more pleasant than the cloudy, red planet. Things like the beach, the Temple. Steven’s smiling face, and Garnet’s subtle smirk, and Amethyst’s nagging.

But that was uncomfortable, too. The contrast of their life back home, and the oppressive hallways of Moss Agate’s chamber - it was beginning to get to her. She wanted to run, to escape, to grab Jasper and just GO. But she had nothing – no plan, no time… and no way out. Thinking of the Crystal Gems was only a painful reminder of the things she could lose at any moment.

So instead her mind drifted further back. It careened through the kindergarten with Amethyst, rushed through the Strawberry Fields with Garnet… And eventually she found herself, amidst wiping down the panels in the control room, staring absentmindedly at the seat Moss Agate usually occupied during her video meetings. She felt that it was somehow familiar.

It was a poorly made replica of a Diamond’s throne.

It was illegal, of course, to have such replicas made. But since she was out here on the exoplanet, the Agate seemed to feel safe enough to mock Homeworld rules.

Memories danced behind her eyes. Gone, but not quite forgotten.

Pearl finished with the control panel and headed over to it. She began with the base, running the polishing stone back and forth over the glass. _Left to right… Move up a space. Right to left… Up a space. Left to right…_

_“Pearl,” a voice says behind her, clear and bright, as if it was only yesterday that she’d heard it. “You don’t have to waste your time on that.”_

_She looks over her shoulder and pauses her work. “But My Diamond, if it gets dusty--”_

_“Oh, it’s fine! We have much more important things to do.” A flash of pink rushes past her, and a second later Pearl finds herself being hoisted up. She feels light, giddy. Just from looking at the smiling pink face inches from hers, Pearl’s cheeks light up in a blush._

_“What kind of things, My Diamond?”_

_“PLANNING!” Pink exclaims, and bounces Pearl in her arms with ease. “The secret base in the old Facet 4 Archive is finally cleared out! It’s ours now!”_

_“The Amethyst guards will be so relieved,” Pearl laughs. “They hated that place.”_

_“I KNOW,” Pink says, rolling her eyes as she chuckles.  “But oh! Can you imagine?! Our first secret hideout! Things will be so much easier now!”_

_“That’s wonderful,” Pearl agrees. “So what’s next, My Diamond?”_

_Pink snorts in amusement, and suddenly Pearl finds herself lifted again – this time higher, on top of the throne. “You tell me,” the Diamond says, depositing her in the seat and stepping away. “My Pearl.”_

_A shiver of excitement mixed with horror runs through Pearl. It originates in her gem and doesn’t fade until it’s in her toes. She squirms, confused. “Wh—what? M-my Diamond, I’m not allowed to be up here!”_

_“I’m allowing it,” the Diamond says. Suddenly, she is even lower – on her knees in front of the throne, perching eagerly. Pearl leans forward, as if afraid to lose sight of her. Looking down – she’s never looked down at anyone before, except for maybe some Rubies._

_“But what—I…” Around her, the vast landscape of the moon’s craters are clearly visible just beyond the glass of the Moonbase. She has seen them before, of course, but never from up there. She looks down again, and finds that Pink has now folded her arms on the edge of the seat. Her chin rests on them like a cushion. Her eyes track Pearl’s every move with a strange fascination. Pearl has to fight back a more powerful blush. “My Diamond, I don’t know what I’m doing up here.”_

_“Planning,” Pink says simply. “We have our own base. The Rebellion is kicking off. I want--” She pauses in excitement, seeming to need a moment to gather her thoughts. “I want it to be… Pearlfect!”_

_Pearl can’t contain her laughter now – the other’s attitude is contagious. “What?!”_

_“Well, if we’re going to take this thing seriously and start to wreak havoc to this little system Blue and Yellow have set up, we need a plan of action, right? We need to have a goal, a motto, a—a flag!” The Diamond looks up, the distant stars reflecting in her eyes. “And who would be better to plan all that stuff -- if not you?”_

_“Me?!” Pearl’s hand flies up to her chest, incredulous. “Why me?! You—You’re a Diamond! You’re the leader!”_

_“And look how great THAT has worked for me,” Pink says flatly._

_The mood dips suddenly. Pearl frowns, watching as her Diamond traces the edges of the throne with her fingertips, lost in thought._

_“I’ve done my best—up until now,” she says. “I’ve tried to be a Diamond, like they are.” Her eyes arch up, seeking something beyond the glass dome of the Moonbase. Homeworld’s Galaxy? The distant moons where Yellow and Blue Diamond are now seated at this very moment, on similar thrones? “But that hasn’t worked. I wanted to be a great leader like them SO badly. And what has that gotten me?” She drops her gaze again. “Now I have my colony, but I can’t even do what I want with it. They told me I had to be more like a real Diamond, but every time I try to stand up to them, they just tell me I’m being silly, or that I don’t understand my duty, or—“ She squeezes her hand into a fist._

_“My Diamond,” Pearl murmurs, leaning in and placing a tender hand on her liege’s arm. “That isn’t your fault. It’s not a failure on your part. They simply don’t want to listen. You are doing wonderfully! Your charges adore you!”_

_“And what is even the point of that adoration?” Pink asks. Her voice rings with frustration. “They only do it because they have to. They think that if they don’t salute me every five seconds, they’ll get shattered! They like Rose Quartz much better! And who can blame them? I like her better too!” She shakes out her hair, and suddenly, in a splash of light, Rose is there again, curls swaying. Her eyes are darker; there are no Diamonds in them, but somehow they are even more imposing than a few seconds ago. “Pearl, you made this happen. YOU invented Rose Quartz – and it’s something I can never repay you for. But I CAN make sure that it doesn’t go to waste.” She takes Pearl’s hand in hers, and it’s warm. Their fingers slip into each other so easily. “Forget Pink Diamond. She’s not here right now. It’s me and you – A Rose Quartz and a Pearl.”_

_Pearl blushes harder. She can’t tear her eyes away anymore. The feeling of horror and excitement is vibrating through her entire form now, and she feels as if any moment she might dissolve into shapeless light again. It’s the best thing she’s ever felt._

_“Who cares about what we’re supposed to do? I’ve failed at being a Diamond already – what’s the point?” Rose shrugs, and she’s laughing but there’s hidden pain in her voice. Then she looks at Pearl, and that pain is gone. “But you—You have been… incredible! You’re so strong, and so smart, and… And where I’ve fallen short, you have surpassed me in strides. Without you, this never would have happened.” She looks into Pearl’s eyes again. It’s almost pleading now. “So please, My Pearl,” she says again. “Won’t you help me? If anyone can do it… it’s you!”_

_Pearl leans forward, into her. Such a rash action would be forbidden elsewhere – but here, no one is watching. The sky overhead is dark, and the Moonbase is quiet. And below the glimmering glass of the dome, they wrap around each other, a Pearl and a Quartz. It feels like nothing else matters. And for a second, Pearl begins to believe that it doesn’t. That maybe… it won’t, ever._

_“Of course,” she says. Her heart flutters. “For you…”_

Pearl opened her eyes. She had been leaning against the throne. The green throne – it’s the color of mold.

Lifting herself up, the gem looked around to check that she had not been discovered. She was still alone – perhaps only a few seconds had passed, or maybe it had been hours.

She couldn’t continue like this. Couldn’t continue escaping to the past.

The Moss Agate was trying to wear her down on purpose, she knew that. Grinding her down with duties, forcing her to retreat into herself and become lost to the tug of the past forever – that had been a welcoming thought. And for a second, it had worked.

But there had been a miscalculation. She had underestimated Pearl.

Pearl was used to it. It was her advantage, really. She knew how little the other gems knew about Pearls. How little they assumed of their intelligence, of their tenacity. But Pearl herself knew how much she could handle – way more than this. Opposition to the Diamonds, the Rebellion, the glory of war – Agate had no idea what she was up against.

_“If anyone can do it – it’s you!”_

_It IS me_ , Pearl thought, clenching her polishing stone tightly and allowing a smile to slip through her façade.

This was not over yet.

It was a while before she had a chance – but by the time that chance came, she was ready. Countless hours of mindless work had allowed her to do countless hours of mindful planning. She didn’t have a lot to work with – so in the end, she ended up deciding to use only herself.

Well, maybe not ONLY. She did have one last trick up her sleeve.

* * *

The Ruby had barely finished reforming before Pearl slapped a hand over her mouth and pressed her to the nearby wall.

Thankfully, the other didn’t protest or try to resist much – even if her eyes DID have a panicked look to them.

“We only have three minutes, so I’ll make this quick, and so will you. If you don’t, I’ll poof you again. Understood?” she said.

The Ruby nodded weakly.

“We’re on an exoplanet somewhere near the KL9 galaxy. This planet is being used illegally by Moss Agate to manufacture weapons that cannot be deactivated by Homeworld. Do you know about this?”

The red gem shook her head.

“I need to bust out of here, and so do you. If they discover a stray gem here, they’ll grab you up and imprison you for sure. Your only chance of escape is helping me. I’ll let you go once we’re off planet and you never have to see me again. Agreed?”

The Ruby hesitantly nodded again.

“As soon as I release you in thirty seconds, we’re going to head towards the door, take a left turn, and then go down the back service corridor towards the elevator. Once there, we need to go down to the lower level, find and disable the guards, break into the control room, figure out the whereabouts of a captive Jasper and some Amethysts, and then go back to the surface.”

The next nod from the red gem was less certain, but it was still a nod. Pearl was impressed by how well she was taking this, all things considered. Then again, the most difficult part of the plan was still ahead.

“In order to do all this, we’re going to fuse.”

This seemed to be the straw to break the camel’s back. Before Pearl could grab her, the Ruby yanked the other’s hand away forcefully and let out a high-pitched squeak of shock. “ _WHAT?!_ ”

“This is hardly the weirdest thing about the plan,” Pearl argued. “Now are you with me or do I have to poof you and put you back in a bubble again?”

“I’m not fusing with you!” Ruby hissed nervously. “Why does that have to be a part of the plan?”

“Because,” Pearl said after a deep breath. “The sensors in the complex are trained to pick up on all the gems here. Fusing will confuse the reading, and it’ll buy us more time.”

“But that’s not allowed!” the Ruby protested. “It’s an abomination – what if I crack? What if something happens to my gem? What if our combined consciousness leaks into each other and poisons me so I’m never able to fully form again?”

Pearl leaned back, bewildered. “Is that what you think is going to happen? Is that what Homeworld told you?”

The little gem wrung her hands nervously. “O-or what if we’re never able to unfuse again?”

Pearl snorted. “Hardly a concern. All those things Homeworld says are just rumors meant to scare you. Fusions are only stable as long as their counterparts both share a common goal, or are specifically wanting to stay fused. This is only until we complete the mission. Trust me – I’ve fused plenty before.”

The Ruby’s eyes widened. “During the Rebellion?”

Pearl allowed herself a small, exasperated smile. “Yes, during the Rebellion. Now are you going to do this or not? We’re already late by 23 seconds.” She held out her hand.

Looking at the red gem in front of her, so nervous and vulnerable, almost made her regret being this harsh. Surely Garnet wouldn’t approve of her plan. After all, how was this any better than when Lapis fused with Jasper? She was giving the soldier an ultimatum, which was hardly a basis for a fusion. The results, she admitted, COULD be disastrous. She was betting a lot on Ruby’s willingness to cooperate with her. Specifically, all of their lives.

Lost in thought, she barely even noticed when Ruby held out her own hand. Her expression had changed from worrisome to serious and resigned – the first time Pearl saw such a look on a Ruby.

“Let’s do this, Renegade,” the gem said, clasping her fingers.

Pearl grinned in relief, tightened her grip and closed her eyes. Light enveloped them as she felt the familiar stream of consciousness slipping away.

In a few moments, it wasn’t even her anymore.


	7. Rhodochrosite

It was fascinating to exist. She didn’t before – but now she did. It only took an instant.

She looked down at herself. Pink – much lighter than a Ruby. Her uniform was stretched and warped – not quite adjusting to the new size of the form. Her arms, when she stretched them out, were strong and lean – darker pink streaked with lighter blotches up her biceps. Still in awe, she ran her hands over her legs, and then up to her shoulders, and then cupped her cheeks. Her eyes blinked. All four of them.

How odd. And how fascinating!

“A Rebel!” she whispered to herself. “I’m… a Rebel!” It was exciting. She was a Rebel – finally! And yet, it was as if she had been one her entire life. She was literally born for this purpose. How wonderful it finally felt, to have the resolve behind her wishes. She was illegal. Not allowed. She was outside the system – she could do anything! She had no limits!

A sudden noise startled her out of her euphoria. She could hear voices down the hall just outside the door. The closet that was hiding her wasn’t spacious even for Ruby and Pearl, and having to be scrunched up inside it now only made her all the more eager to get out and start her mission.

But there was one last thing to determine.

 _You don’t HAVE to pick a name. This is temporary._ A ping of annoyance stirred inside her. It was confusing – she was basically mad at herself. For a second, her form seemed to almost waiver, but then immediately snapped back together.

It was silly, that much was true. But still. She wanted one. Then at least, even if her form were to dissipate, she would be remembered. If only in name.

The annoyed side of her relented. She didn’t have to be so hard on herself. She had only just been made – what was the harm of a little self-indulgence?

“Alright then,” she chuckled, and cracked her knuckles in excitement. “World, get ready to meet Rhodochrosite.”

 

*    *     *

 

There was no one in the service hallway when she emerged from the hall closet, and no one all the way up to the elevator. Once called, the small pod arrived in a timely manner, and she even managed to squish herself into it without much of a problem. It was cramped, but the door closed and she sat down against the back wall, watching the numbers on the screen tick down. They were in the lower levels now – heading down. Pearl knew that the control panel was somewhere in section SUB3 – but that’s where things got uncertain.

One thing was for sure – if she couldn’t find Jasper within half a cycle, Moss Agate would notice the disappearance of her Pearl. That is, if the fusion herself wasn’t discovered first.

The elevator made a pleasant sound and the doors drifted apart. Empty hallway – again. Rhodochrosite crawled out of the pod and stood up, trying to straighten up in the narrow hallway. The glass wall on one side revealed the Armory down below – it was the Shipping Out section. It was unlikely that anyone would be looking up at the passage, but she still took care to slip through as quickly as possible, only pausing at the end to survey the situation one last time.

Nothing seemed to have changed. The Famethyst were still nowhere to be found, and there was no sign of Jasper.

She ducked out of view, ready to continue on her way, but just then more voices cropped up from down the hall. They were still not visible in the dim lighting, but perhaps it was Quartz Patrol.

_Fight!_

_No, hide!_

Rhodochrosite felt herself freeze up. Her right arm moved to the dual gems on her forehead, but at the same time, her left arm reached for the wall behind them. Two completely different reactions – how great was that? Which one was she supposed to go with? She stumbled, ready to split again.

 _Stop!_ the annoyed voice inside her was back at it again. _Don’t panic! You wanted to be a Rebel, didn’t you? You can’t just run from everything!_

 _But it sounds like there’s two of them!_ her nervous side argued. _I’m outnumbered!_

 _There’s two of us, too, and_ we’re _stronger!_ She squared her shoulders suddenly, an influx of bravery forcing her to her feet. It was too early to give up.

“Yeah!” she exclaimed, clenching her fists and straightening up. “We’re just getting started!”

A gasp from the opposite end of the hall alerted her that her fight or flight mode had, apparently, taken much longer to get over than she had thought. The Quartz patrol – for it was indeed that – was already in full view, both of them staring open-mouthed at the gem in front of them.

“What IS that?!” the left, yellow Quartz chocked out.

Rhodochrosite moved first. In a flash, there was the familiar spear. In another flash – a rope of chains. Glancing at them only briefly, the fusion snapped them together with confidence and whipped the resulting nunchucks in a smooth rotation before taking on a battle stance.

“Your worst nightmare,” she growled in reply.

 _That’s a bit dark,_ the nervous voice in her head said, but it was quickly smothered by the fact that one of the Quartzes moved to attack – and the next set of motions were purely instinct. Dodge, fall, leg sweep. Suddenly, the first Quartz had the chain around its neck, and with only a pit of pressure, the result was a dissipation of yellowish smoke.

The second Quartz backed up in surprise, but Rhodochrosite was faster – the chain found the neck again, and the smaller gem was slammed up against the wall, looking in horror at the four eyes staring back at it.

“I COULD poof you and throw you and your friend into the incinerator,” the fusion said. Despite the threat, her voice was oddly level. Somehow, the Quartz felt this only added to the terror of the current situation. “But I won’t. But I might.” She seemed to hesitate, fighting internally with herself before taking a deep breath. “But the point is, if you comply, there won’t be anything to worry about. Is that clear?“

The Quartz nodded, feeling her voice chocked in the back of her throat. The chain didn’t loosen up.

“I need to find the Control Room. I know it’s on this floor. Where is it?” Rhodochrosite’s larger, black eyes bore into the Quartz expectantly. “You have ten seconds to tell me.”

The Quartz let out a chocked sound, and after a moment of realization, the fusion let up the pressure on her trachea. “Well?”

“I don’t--” A cough. “—don’t know what a second is…”

Rhodochrosite blinked, but before she could speak again, the Quartz did.

“But… I don’t have—No one has access to the Control Room! Only Moss Agate… Only she can enter…”

The fusion sputtered again. On the one hand, it was still worth a try. On the other hand, Pearl had never been to this level before. Moss didn’t allow her to – and there was a good chance that the passcode for entry was different than in the main of the base. They could be stuck trying to open it by force, and that would only take longer, and attract more attention.

“This is useless,” she growled out, feeling an impending sense of doom. “What’s the point, I should just—No, but we could still—But what if they find--!!”

“D-don’t dissipate me!” the Quartz sputtered, interrupting the fusion’s discordant monologue. “Please, don’t—I’m already going to get in trouble! Please, I’ll tell you anything!”

Rhodochrosite glanced back up at her. “Jasper,” she said.

“Wha?”

“Several cycles ago, a Jasper and her Pearl came here on a tour.” Rhodochrosite tightened her weapon again, determination returning. “You were there. I remember you. You were on the main floor down there.”

“I…Maybe…?” the Quartz whimpered.

“You saw it, didn’t you?” Rhodochrosite continued. “When the Amethysts piled on the Pearl. You were there.”  

The Quartz looked to the side, looking uncertain now. “They all got dissipated…”

“So did the Jasper.” The fusion’s voice was calm again. “You saw, didn’t you?”

“I was just trying to win her favor! I had to obey Moss Agate!” The Quartz choked out. “I just wanted to get out of there… I didn’t want any trouble, but Moss Agate told me to destroy her form while everyone else was getting hit, and I did! I didn’t know anything! I was just following orders!”

Rhodochrosite blinked steadily at her. “Did you see where they took her?”

The befuddled look was back. “Huh?”

“Jasper. Where did they take her? After you poof—after you dissipated her, along with the Amethysts, she was taken somewhere. Did you see where?”

There was a long silence. The Quartz’ gaze became dim and horrified again. “They… took her to the bottom floor. To Production.”

“Bottom floor? What is Production?” Rhodochrosite demanded, but just as she did, the communication crystal strapped to the Quartz’ hip started to hum.

A distorted voice emanated from it. “ _Ametrine 9TN, respond immediately. Upper floor has detected a situation. Have you seen anything on SUB3? Report immediately. I repeat--”_

The fusion loosened her weapon, but her eyes locked with the other gem. “You’re going to tell them you saw me get in the elevator,” she said quietly. “Tell them I’m heading _upstairs_ to Moss Agate’s chamber. And then… You’re going to take me down to Production. And we’re going to find Jasper. Got it?”

The Ametrine swallowed a lump in her throat. It was slow, but after a few seconds she dropped her head in defeat and reached for the communicator.

 

*    *     *

 

The elevator ride was silent. Rhodochrosite almost felt bad for the Ametrine – she was clearly terrified to even be in the same space with the fusion. Or maybe it was something else? Something about the way her shoulders were hunched, and the way she was staring into space, almost as if whatever it was she was scared of was NOT with her at the moment, and instead only a half-remembered dream.

“What is Production?” Rhodochrosite asked.

The gem flinched. Her form shook. “It’s where… the weapons are made.”

“The weapons that Moss Agate sells?”

The Quartz gave a confirming nod.

At least one mystery would be solved, the fusion thought bleakly. Even during the time Pearl was with Moss Agate, she was never given any information about the actual means of production for the entire scheme. Whatever it was they were using to make the weapons, it was apparently secret enough to keep even the green braggart gem quiet.

It couldn’t have been the resources from the planet they were on – there was nothing here. It was a geological blank – only a small molten core at the center. The rest were thick, liquid-like gases – no use to the Diamonds. That’s why this planet was left alone. It was merely a rock, not worthy of conquest by the great Authority.

“And you’re sure Jasper is there?” Rhodochrosite asked.

“Well…” Ametrine lowered her head again. There was something haunting about her tone. “Once you go to Production… you usually don’t come back.”

“What does that--”

The question was cut off by the ding of the elevator. A wave of heat burst in to greet them, and both gems pulled back reflectively. Beyond the doors of the pod gaped a larger, open area. It was crudely excavated metal – clearly the hardened layers of the planet’s insides. Something about it seemed primitive, uncanny. There was also a tremendous pressure down this low near the center, which made even Rhodochrosite squirm uncomfortably.

“Are there guards?” she asked, fighting back the urge to press the elevator button and whisk them back up again.

“…no,” the Ametrine said. Catching an untrusting look from the other, she shook her head. “No guards. The doors open for anyone that’s already registered in the complex. It’s operated from the upper floors.”

“Then why was Jasper sent here?” Rhodochrosite muttered.

The Quartz swallowed nervously. “For Production.”

The fusion glanced at her again, this time only with confusion. Finally, she stepped out of the pod and straightened up in the larger cavern. Now that her vision had adjusted, she could see a door on the opposite end – there was a blinking light and a panel. She looked back at the other gem, and then beckoned her out, forcing her to follow.

Together, they made their way slowly to the unassuming entrance. It was simple – only a gate, and a control panel beside it. After a brief pause, Rhodochrosite reached out and touched it.

The door’s perimeter lit up, and a glowing blue sphere materialized in front of them.

 _Register your weapon,_ a digital voice announced.

Behind her, the Ametrine made another desperate sound. Ignoring it this time, the fusion materialized her previous nunchucks and placed them in the gravity field of the sphere. It seemed a bit silly – what was the point of surrendering your weapon when any gem could just as easily summon a new one?

The nunchucks, briefly swallowed up by the blue glow, suddenly dissolved into sparkles, but the console didn’t seem to like it.

 _Invalid weapon. Unregistered user,_ it complained, and then the sphere reappeared again.

 _Register your weapon_ , it insisted.

With a frustrated huff, Rhodochrosite summoned Pearl’s spear and tried again. After a brief contemplation, the computer seemed to be satisfied, and another, more pleasant sound rang out from behind the closed doors.

 _Weapon registered. Step inside._ As it said this, the gate slid open smoothly, revealing a poorly-lit track just inside. It looked almost like…  a conveyor belt?

“I don’t want to,” Ametrine whimpered, but Rhodochrosite grabbed her before she could dash. The truth was, she didn’t want to go in either. But she had to, and she wasn’t about to do it alone. All of this was getting way too creepy. Gems going to Production and not coming back? What kind of horror movie was this?

 _The cluster…_ the usually annoyed internal voice seemed horrified now. _This feels like the cluster all over again. But if that’s true, then Jasper is…!_

“It can’t be…” she said to herself, trying to calm her nerves. “That would be… wasteful.” Pearl remembered that part well – when they had first arrived, Moss Agate said that she found shattering wasteful. So there was no reason to think that she would shatter someone as useful as Jasper. Surely there was another explanation.

And if there was, it was going to be in there.

“Stay behind me,” she told the Ametrine, wondering if it was bad to feel grateful for her presence, even though the other was clearly not a willing participant in the scheme.

They stepped inside.

The door shut behind them.

 _Welcome to Production,_ said the voice.

 


	8. Production

It was dark. From their point of view nothing was visible – only the area of the walkway that they stood on was illuminated. Unsurprisingly, the track soon began to move, advancing them forward just like a conveyor belt and confirming Rhodochrosite’s suspicions. After a tense moment, the fusion almost seemed to relax – so far, nothing terrifying was happening. Then the path snaked between invisible obstacles in the dark – moving to the right or to the left, taking them down towards an invisible goal. Finally, at the end of the line, she could almost make out the outline of something before them – a hulking stack of boxes, one on top of another.

The boxes approached them – or rather, they approached the boxes – and soon enough the fusion realized that they were larger than she had thought – almost as tall as her. Each was a glossy black, and there appeared to be no way to get inside. Perhaps they were shipping containers for the weapons?

Another announcement rang out from the glowing pad below them - _Gem type: Pearl. First task – scan for Code Red. Update to Orange._

Rhodochrosite started and looked back at Ametrine, who, at this point, also seemed confused. “Pearl…? Is that--” she began nervously.

“I registered Pearl’s weapon…” the fusion said, ignoring the Quartz’s shocked blabbering at that information. “So the system thinks I’m a Pearl. Is that what this is? Just a job… based on what type of gem you are?”

The other gem shook her head. “N-no, this is… there’s something else. I don’t know anything about this. We usually dropped off the dissipated gems before they reformed. We would just leave them in that chamber just outside the elevator… But I thought—I had heard--”

 Before she could continue, the announcing voice returned – _Begin task_ – it reminded them.

“We should do as it says,” the Quartz mumbled, looking around into the dark worriedly. “Who knows what’ll happen if we don’t obey…”

“It only thinks Pearl is here,” the fusion said, trying to assure the other. “Let’s just play along for now.” She turned around, facing the boxes again. There were many of them – perhaps many more than they could see in the poorly illuminated vintage point. Rhodochrosite focused for a moment and a light pink hue spilled from her Pearl, rippling light over the corners of the endless cubes. She shined the flashlight upwards – there was a ceiling not so far from them. But to their right and left, the boxes seemed… almost endless. Her beam weakened before she could see any end to it.

With renewed determination she stepped up to the box immediately in front of her, running her fingertips over the glassy, granite surface. It looked heavy, but was suspended a bit in the air as if held there by some imposing pressure. Perhaps a gravity trap?

As the fusion’s fingers skimmed the outer rim it suddenly lit up – a ring of color unrolled at the corner, and some more statistics pulled up below them. The ring was lit 90% of the way, a pleasant green gradient.

**Product: C593**

**Type: Hammer**

**Packaged: 10 cycles ago**

**Progress: On track**

**< Report> <Update> <Dismiss>**

Rhodochrosite stared at the bottom buttons, which were glowing patiently. The instructions from the little voice had said to only bother with something that was called… Code Red? This appeared to be green.

After a bit of hesitation she pressed the Dismiss button. The box immediately let out a satisfied hum and, before anyone could react, it levitated briefly up, rotated on its axis and was swept away back into the row of other boxes as if it was a card being shuffled back into the deck. The next box in line pulled forward.

Rhodochrosite tapped the display on this one as well. The ring on the corner unfurled 50% of the way, this time yellow in color.

She tapped dismiss again. Like the last one, this box also filed itself away smoothly.

Growing impatient, she turned to Ametrine. “You do it. I’ll go and try to find something else that might help us. This place doesn’t seem to be guarded at all, and there’s that whole area back there. If I use my gem to light the way, I might find another way out of here.”

The Quartz looked at the boxes, uncertain. “B-but I’m not a Pearl, I can’t do it! What if it knows?”

“Listen,” Rhodochrosite said, putting her hands on the other’s shoulders. “I know you’re scared, and I know I threatened you only a little while ago. But my plan isn’t actually to get us stuck here forever. I just want to get out of here – just like you. If we work together we have a much better chance of surviving this prison Moss Agate has built.”

The Ametrine looked relieved, but very quickly it was replaced with a scared look again, like she was about to cry. “But no one has ever gotten out of here before! No one! There’s no way off this planet; it’s a trap! Who knows what Moss Agate even DOES to gems here?”

Rhodochrosite tightened her grip and gave her a stern shake. “Snap out of it! We can’t afford to panic right now!”

The Quartz sniffled, biting back her tears for the time being.

“Just do the job for a little while to keep it distracted. It’s not difficult. You just tap the corner like this,” she said, reaching out and doing it to the latest box. “And if the circle isn’t red, then you just--”

They both paused. On this box, the circle had lit up less than 25% of the way. It was maroon.

Rhodochrosite cleared her throat nervously. “And… if it’s red… You update it. Look, it’s easy,” she said, and tapped the **< Update>** button on the bottom.

The box hummed, and the circle in the corner suddenly grew larger – nearly as large as her hand. The percentages were ticked around the circumference now, and it resembled a dial.

“And then I guess we just have to put it in orange,” she continued, trying to feign confidence. Her finger grabbed the edge of the color wheel and the pulled it down, watching the gradient dip into brighter red, and then auburn.

As she did so, a low, grinding vibration resonated from the box.

They both jumped – in the muffled space of the dark chambers, it was the quietest thing they’d heard, and yet it was certainly the most terrifying. The box itself seemed to be shuddering, as if something was applying pressure to a material that was about to snap. In her surprise Rhodochrosite had released the dial, but it was now stuck where she had put it - and a new message popped up on the glossy screen of the display: **Lock?**

The box was still vibrating.

“What’s in that thing?” the Quartz whispered.

“Weapons,” the fusion replied. “I think…”

“Why is it making that sound?”

Rhodochrosite did not answer. She approached the box again and grabbed the dial where she had left it. Then, carefully, she pulled it back up to where it was – in the red.

The vibrating stopped. The box seemed to loosen, and although she did not hear it, Rhodochrosite could swear she felt a sigh of relief.

_Something’s wrong,_ she thought to herself, staring at the thing in front of her. _If this is Production, then where are the materials? We have just barely arrived here and all of these are already packaged. And where in the world did they get these weapons, anyway? There’s so many – way too many! And not a single working gem in sight._

Her eyes drifted up. At the top corner of the box, the specifications glowed dimly.

**Product: 8XL**

Her breath caught in her throat and suddenly she was coming apart. Everything inside of her lurched, and she was splitting down the middle, rippling light tearing away at the consciousness until there was nothing more – only Ruby and Pearl collapsed on the floor, both shell-shocked by the sudden end of their fusion.

“What?” Ruby demanded, the first to snap out of it. “What was that? We were doing okay, why did you--”

Pearl looked up. Her eyes were on the box in front of them and she stumbled forward unprompted, grabbing for the edges of it with her pale, thin fingers. Her eyes bore into the control panel.

“We have to open this,” she rasped.

“What?” Ruby exclaimed, getting to her feet. “Open it how? Why? If we set off some kind of an alarm, it’ll all be over. We’ll get discovered.”

“I don’t care!” Pearl snarled, and slapped the display on the glossy surface. Fumbling for the color dial again, she pulled it up further – until the red hue shifted darker and darker, until it was almost black. The box seemed to grow lighter, but it remained impenetrable. For a silent, heavy moment, Pearl flipped recklessly through the controls, but nothing seemed to allow the option of opening up the container.

She let out another frustrated screech, whipped out her spear and slammed it into the box. The black, levitating compartment bounced from the blow, only to float back into its previous position. Not to be defeated, Pearl stepped back, releasing several short energy bursts at the thing. It creaked, thumping into the lined up boxes around it, and the display glitched for a moment.

Encouraged, Pearl stepped forward, ramming the tip of her sphere into the exposed side, looking for some kind of crack. Once found, she stuck the tip of the spear into the opening, warmed up another burst and fired.

The combined energy of it sent her flying back, but before she could dip out of view Ametrine grabbed her arm and pulled her back onto the walkway. The white gem struggled back to her feet and looked back at the box, which was now crackling with an odd energy and leaning heavily into the container next to it. A deep crack ran through its side.

Ruby, sensing it was her turn, came forward and pushed her fingers into the fissure. After a moment the Ametrine joined her, and together they pulled the thing apart as it cracked and groaned. After a few moments, there was a sound akin to a clap of thunder and the box finally split – almost cleanly in half, like a giant slab of granite. The black glossy surface, it turned out, was not only the outer shell of thing. Instead it ran deep in – the entire box appeared to be only a block of solid rock, save for the space molded in the middle. In it was a single axe, which fell out with a clang onto the floor.

“It really was only a weapon?” Ametrine asked, befuddled.

Pearl didn’t answer. She was looking at the hilt of the said axe. There, a single six-faceted Amethyst stone was embedded. It pulsed – once, twice, as if testing something, and then all at once the whole weapon dissolved into light and exploded into a full form. An Amethyst - 8XL – unfurled and collapsed gracelessly onto the floor before them.

“Oh my stars,” Ruby whispered while Pearl rushed past her. “Was she shapeshifted the whole time? As her weapon?”

“What happened?” Pearl demanded, dropping to her knees beside the familiar figure. “What was that?”

The Amethyst took a few moments to come to, but once her eyes found Pearl, she seemed to relax a little. “Moss Agate,” she chocked out. “The weapons she sells… They’re not weapons.”

Pearl had a look of horrified understanding about her. “They’re gems…” she whispered.

8XL nodded. “She forces them into these Molds. Makes you shapeshift smaller and smaller, until only your weapon is left… You can’t release it… You can’t get out. It just… presses you.” The Amethyst shuddered. “I’ve never shapeshifted that small before… It started to hurt, but I couldn’t do anything...! It was so dark…”

Ametrine stumbled back. “Are all of these things… gems?!”

The Amethyst glanced at the boxes lined up before them, hovering forebodingly. “Yes. That’s what we’ve been shipping.”

“We have to get them out!” Pearl commanded, standing back up. “All of them. We find Jasper and we—we get out! Ruby, we’re going to fuse again.”

Amethyst grabbed for her, stopping her in her tracks. “Wait! It’s not that simple. The longer they’re in there, the more they lose themselves. I was only in there for a few cycles – me and the others from the Human Zoo were put in around the same time. But Jasper went in before us. She’s been in there way longer.”

The purple gem glanced off to the side, somehow seeming guilty. “Before gems are put into the Molds, we’re brought here and made to work for a short time… That’s why no one knows what happens here. Each new batch of gems sent down here do the heavy lifting and maintenance first – and then they’re all… packaged.” She shuddered as she said the word. Pearl put a comforting hand on her shoulder, and the gem continued hesitantly: “We had to check and release the… fully pressurized gems. Ones that have been here for more than 10 cycles.”

“That long?!” Ruby gasped.

“At that point, they didn’t even try to shapeshift back,” 8XL admitted, voice hollow. “They had given up. I don’t think they even remembered how to take their own form after that long in the dark. And the few that did try… We had to immediately dissipate them and lock them back up.”

She looked back up at Pearl. “Those that tried to take form after six cycles or more – they weren’t gems anymore. They were… enraged. Confused. They would grow extra limbs, be constantly trying to get bigger and bigger and they—they attacked everything. They couldn’t see. Couldn’t hear. They weren’t themselves.”

Pearl shuddered. “And Jasper?” she asked, fearing the worst. “Did you see her?”

The Amethyst grimaced. “Moss Agate came downstairs to check on her after three cycles. We let her out – but she was… She was already so far gone! She began to grow these spikes, and they were green, and…”

“Urgh, it’s her Corruption acting up again,” Pearl muttered darkly. “That only adds to the problems. But she’s strong, maybe she could still be okay?”

“She was strong alright. She nearly took out half the room,” Amethyst admitted morosely. “We thought she would break the whole center before we contained her – but it took at least 6 other gems. Moss Agate put her back in and cranked her pressure up to 75% as punishment. Even if we release her now, there’s no chance we’ll be able to control her. Not with only four of us.”

Ametrine and Ruby exchanged nervous glances.

Pearl didn’t reply. She was thinking. Finally, she sighed and straightened up. As if on cue, every other gem in the containment looked up at her. She was the only one who still looked determined, who still looked somehow not terrified by everything they had been listening to. The only one who was still keeping it together.

“Alright,” she said. “I have a plan.”

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written in a few years, so be gentle with me - but please be sure to leave a comment if you enjoyed it! :)


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